Alternate Tournament
by Phoenix Miko
Summary: AU Who's gonna be the 5th member of the yuyu gang if it wasn't Genkai? What'll happen to everyone with this change? But most importantly, will it be a meaningful event or just a pure disaster? kur/kag a little san/hiei. The works... Enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

~…~ -Kurama's telepathic communication

=…= Kagome's telepathic communication

*…* Hiei's telepathic communication

+…+ Sango's telepathic communication

\...\ Yusuke's thoughts

|…| Kuwabara's thoughts

^…^ Genkai's thoughts

'…' Koenma's thoughts

_thoughts of other characters_

This was in the time of the Dark Tournament…

.

Chapter 1

"Yusuke, you get your ass back here!" shouted Atsuko as she waved an empty bottle of wine (or whiskey) in the air to emphasize what she meant. However, her son just wasn't the type to listen,

"No thanks!" and he was off, whistling all the way to the arcade. But when he got there Keiko was standing in front the gate to the arcade. He cursed and decided to use the back door but Botan was there. She was looking bored or maybe sleepy. but that doesn't mean she wasn't alert.

\Damn it! Why does everyone have to ruin my day?\ he was about to turn around but he bumped into the orange-haired buffoon. \Oh, great!\

"Hey you guys! I found Urameshi…hehehe!" Yusuke groaned, he was going to be dragged into another one of Koenma's stupid toddler missions.

Botan and Keiko came rushing over to them.

"Yusuke!" Keiko grabbed his hand and led him out of the alley with the other two in tow. Yusuke cursed his luck. "What does the toddler want now?!"

"Yusuke, it's not Koenma who see you, it's Genkai. So hurry up, will you?" he released his arm from his girlfriend's hold and asked,

"Well, what does she want?!" man, he hated this! Why him? Why doesn't fox boy or shrimp or hell even the idiot get the job done?

"Will c'mon all ready? We promise that this will be worth it!" pleaded Keiko as Botan came from behind her saying, "Come now, Yusuke, we don't have time for chit-chats!"

"Guys, no fair wait up!" Kuwabara appeared looking all sweaty. Even if it was only a sprint for the rest, he doesn't get enough exercise and this is what happens.

"Oh man, Urameshi, you really need to see her." He said after he was done panting. Yusuke sighed and gave up, allowing the girls to drag him to the old hag's.

\They're so dead if this isn't worth my fun at the arcade.\

Meanwhile…

Kurama was walking towards Genkai's temple. He received a message from Hiei that Genkai wants a meeting with the four of them and he had to make an excuse for his mother, telling her that he's on a trip with some friends. And indeed he was, just not the type of tri his mother thought he was on.

How he hated lying to his mother but Hiei's message seemed to be urgent and he was curious. An old trait that he never did get rid off. Sometimes the old traits just don't disappear.

Anyway, as he walked up to the temple's gate, he heard an explosion coming from the training grounds and he walked calmly to the area. He thought he would see either Yusuke firing another 'bullet' or Genkai demonstrating how to shoot a perfect shot. But what he saw was not on any list of possibilities for the cause of such a huge explosion…

With the Inuyasha group...

"PERVERT!" SLAP! the sound rang throughout the forest. Inuyasha sighed. Shippo shook his head in a disapproving gesture. He missed his mother but he promised to wait no matter what.

However, a certain hanyou was so bored that he decided to go get Kagome. _Why is she always late? Aren't two weeks good enough for the friggin' test?_ And he kept on muttering about irresponsible human females from the future and their stupid tests.

What he didn't notice was that a figure was following him all the way to the well...

TBC…

Sorry for the short chapter. I promise this'll get longer.


	2. Try Me

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 3

(Kurama's P.O.V.)

As I walked up to stone steps of Genkai's temple I heard an explosion. I thought it was Yusuke but I was proven wrong when I reached the specific placeI saw a masked individual appearing out of the smoke caused by the explosion. Presumably it was the effect of an attack. The person was obviously wearing all black and it seemed to me that he didn't really mean any harm. I stayed where I was and watched as Genkai came out looking pi- ahem! displeased. I heard the psychic say,

"Kagome, is that all the great western lord of the feudal era taught you?! I admit I'm disappointed in you…" the old woman shook her head and was about to leave but the figure known as Kagome but he growled and jumped in the psychic's way and prepared himself for another attack. I could see Genkai smirk in satisfaction as she looked at me. The figure sensed me then and lunged swiftly with a sudden weapon appearing from his right wrist in a threatning way. I was caught off guard as I was deep in thought. He landed on top of me and glared.

I looked closer at my perpetrator and noticed that his full attention was on me. He had a pair of unnatural sapphire eyes that showed deep suffering and certain liveliness that was buried deep beneath the cold exterior. His hair was long and blacker than midnight that was tied in a braid. His eyes were filled with suspicion that made me feel quite uncomfortable under his gaze. But there is something not right with him. Although, I couldn't figure it out at the time… something different...

"Kagome, dear, it's all right. This is Kurama the kitsune I wanted you to meet." Hearing this he got off of me and the weapon she held suddenly vanished. Genkai turned to me and started an introduction.

"Kurama, this is Kagome, my granddaughter-" I was frozen at that. Now I know what was different; it was her feminine scent when all the while I thought this person was male. How foolish of me.

"-and Kagome, this is the fox you will be training under when you're not here, Kurama." With that the girl shot me a sharp look that could've stabbed anyone, and walked away to a further place and made a fighting stance. I knew she wanted to resume training so I decided this will be perfect for observing her skills. Genkai said,

"Don't let your guard down, because when she gets used to your presence she can't help but go all out and not hold a thing back. You just might die." I nodded and watched her briefly as she went inside her home, presumably to make tea. As the psychic disappeared through the shoji doors I looked at my companion and saw she was serious so I didn't delay any longer and charged her.

When I aimed for her ankle she tripped but quickly regained her footing and dashed forward trying to hit my abdomen with her hardened palm. She scraped my uniform which caused it to be sliced open revealing my inner shirt but I stepped back just in time to avoid a direct hit. If it had made contact I would have been doubling over with pain looking like a complete moron. I think she knew that because I swear I heard a snicker emmenating from her.

I decided that this cannot go on for much longer or I will get injured badly so I unleashed my trademark rose whip which seemed to only irritate my opponent. I slashed my whip at her side and made a small wound. She slowly put a finger to her side and dabbed it to the seeping blood and she brought it in front of her eyes for a clearer inspection. I watched her every move and felt a tinge of fascination. Not that I am a masochist or a sadistic person but something about her blood smelt of power and it called out to me. Obviously this was a subconscious feat for Kagome merely resumed her stance and prepared for my attack.

"We will stop for now to treat your wound."

"And this is coming from the one who inflicted me with it in the first place?" she spoke for the very first time since I came but as clear as her words were, I had a feeling they would be more pleasing to hear without her mask… her way of talking to me was one of utter disgust which confused me.

"Oi, Kurama!" I looked up to see Yusuke accompanied by Kuwabara and the females. I sweat-dropped and looked at my companion but she was already heading for the temple. Probably, limping so I went to see if she was fine. My way was blocked by a familiar black-clothed Jaganshi who was also after some one in the house but I doubt it was Kagome he was after. He didn't even notice me enter with him…

When we got inside, Kagome was already redressed in some casual clothes that were still black but were different from her fighting clothes. She still wore her mask, though. Without glancing at us once she said her goodbyes to Genkai and promised to be back after a month.

Where would she be for a whole month, I wonder?

She slipped past us and out the door. I turned to the psychic but she just looked at me; a look that said 'I-will-explain-later' so I nodded patiently and sat down in her living room with Hiei and her while we waited for the others to arrive inside the room…

TBC…


	3. Change

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 4

(Normal POV)

As the shoji doors opened signaling everyone was here, Yusuke came screaming for answers,

"Oi! Old hag, who the hell was that creep with the mask! And where the hell is Kurama?!" Keiko was preparing to give her insensitive boyfriend a good smack on the head but Genkai spoke with some amusement lacing her voice,

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dear. As much as I want to throw him off a cliff I can't; we have some important matters to discuss. Now please take your seat so we can move on," Keiko nodded.

This must be pretty important for Genkai to skip her boyfriend's beating but, oh well. Yusuke was also amazed for a second; never in all his time with the old fossil did had she refrained from striking him upside his head. Anyway, Kurama was sitting there patiently even if he was completely annoyed with the others. He was having a grand time with his newly found 'toy' when they scared her off.

"All right, first and foremost, the girl you saw a while ago was my granddaughter, Kagome Higurashi. She is a time-traveling miko and she was here because Koenma asked me to train your fifth member and because she wanted training to survive the feudal era while searching for the scattered shards of the Shikon no Tama.

She travels with a demon slayer, a monk, a fire cat, a hanyou, and a kitsune kit." This caught the attention of a certain fox but he stored that information for later, not wanting to interrupt.

"They need to defeat a hanyou by the name of Naraku to ensure the safety of that era. And yes, she is _more_ than capable of fighting especially when her life is at stake or the lives of her friends. She is human however so I suggest you boys to be more considerate when it comes to her…she has a lot of troubles as it is."

Any questions?" She asked while sipping her tea. 1…2…3… "WHAT DO YOU MEAN FIFTH MEMBER?!" Yusuke and Kuwabara exclaimed as they jumped to their feet and continued to yell at the old woman. Kurama only widened his eyes a fraction then returned to normal. Hiei narrowed his eyes into slits but settled for the fashionable 'hn'. The girls were in awe but their reaction was still better than the two ranting maniacs. Some one should be sued for their immense stupidity.

"Kagome!" everything stilled.

The voice was followed by a loud crash. Then everything was once again silent. Yusuke narrowed his eyes and nodded to his group mates… a demon was just outside the temple. Seems it ran into Kagome and the one who owned the voice and caused a little ruckus. The team hurried on to the scene just in time to see a dog-eared boy in traditional clothes swinging an overly large sword at the demon who was aiming for Kagome. She stood there and looked at the attacker with disgust.

It had a red head and yellow eyes that were too gruesome to fully describe and its body was that of a western dragon it was as large as the inu demon of the western lord, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha, she could tell was afraid of this creature hurting her, after all he didn't know about her training so she thought this was a great opportunity so when the demon's tail was swinging at her, Kagome gracefully did a back flip and formed a sword with her energy (much cooler than Kuwabara's of course XD). Stabbed its tail and with inhuman speed she ran up the creature's spine and plunged her sword directly on its head. Her mask never once falling from her face.

Inuyasha was shouting at her the whole time saying "What the hell are you doing!?" or "Idiot, you'll get hurt!" or even "You're not Kikyo so don't get in my way!" At this Kagome was really pissed '_How dare he!' _ Kagome's energy rose in rage, killing her prey instantly, but it was of little importance to her now. His last statement hurt her and it pushed her over the edge.

"What is your fucking problem, you bastard?! I'm not trying to _be _Kikyo! I wanted to be different from her! Why can't you see that?" she shouted in his direction. The hanyou's ears flattened on his head but he did not back down and said, "Even if you tried you couldn't be her…" his eyes were looking at her and they were blank.

The yu yu gang stared at the scene beginning to unfold. They were still a little shocked that Kagome was able to disintegrate a fully grown demon dragon. They watched as Kagome's energy enveloped her and made her hair fly gently around her. Her eyes showed hurt that turned into anger then it turned into a cold look of disdain. It was quite intimidating. But they watched regardless of the danger. Kagome retracted her energy and said,

"Inuyasha, I will not be returning any time soon and I need Sango and Shippo here. Please give them a shard to travel here. I need to discuss some things with them." She turned and headed for her house. There was no argument in her voice, her word was final and Inuyasha knew it. but as usual he went against what he knew and shouted,

"Damn it! Kagome you can't do that! You're going back with me whether you like it or not!" He started to grab her wrist when he suddenly found himself looking at the sky with a big bump on his head. _'Where did she get this powerful?' _Kagome spoke with a venom-filled voice,

"I'm not your pet, you bastard. Now, do I make myself clear, dog?" He nodded dejectedly, stood up and ran ahead of her. There was some thing in the tone she used that made him obey. Kagome turned to face the yu yu gang and said,

"We apologize for the dilemma. And I will be meeting you again next week for the tournament, good day." her words were still as cold as ice but her eyes showed an apologizing glint. then she walked away towards her home, again.

(Back to the yu yu gang...)

"Wow…that was totally not normal…" commented a dumbfounded spirit detective. Kuwabara could only nod his orange head in agreement. The scene before gave him the chills. Hiei merely snorted and went off some where in the forest. Kurama's fox side had been tempted by the mysterious beauty and that was normally not a good sign. Kurama, himself however, felt intrigued by both the girl and her power.

The Dark tournament might not be so bad after all…

(In Koenma's office…)

"This was a good idea after all, ogre." Said the ruler who was sitting in his chair watching the show from his screen. The blue ogre watching with him was frantic about the girl's changing emotion; it scared him to death.

"Sir are you sure it's a good idea to choose that woman for their fifth member?" he asked hoping his boss would reconsider his decision. But luck just wasn't on his side today.

"Of course I'm sure, you big blue buffoon! Besides, this girl personally requested this…" replied the toddler while sucking his pacifier. George, the ogre, looked at the girl in the screen again. "Sir, are you sure this is the same girl who came here a month ago? She looks like a completely different person and why on earth would she need a mask?" he scratched his head as he tried to contemplate the actions of this female.

"She needed to feel different in order to _be _different. She wanted to be some one stronger and more capable than what she was before. Maybe she needed to prove it to every body and to herself that she wasn't weak." Explained Koenma thoughtfully. The ogre thought '_I still don't get her way of thinking._'

(Koenma's thoughts…)

_Besides, this girl may just prove to be the one thing they need. And she needs to settle some things here as well… I just hope she and the group find what they're looking for in this life…_

TBC…

Thanks for the awesome reviews so far. Love it! ^__^


	4. Preliminary Round

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

(Note: Sorry about my last 2 chapters, their numbering was wrong. Here are the correct ones: "Try Me" is Chapter 2; "Change" is Chapter 3.) This is…

Chapter 4

(On the day of the departure for Hanging Neck Island…)

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE!?" yelled an irritated Kuwabara. He was looking forward to all this excitement and yet they were about to be left behind by the ship because of that masked-lady. He, Kazuma Kuwabara will not allow it!

"Don't talk; it makes you look even more stupid." Hiei was sitting on the boulder away from the stench of all the apparitions that have gathered in the area. Kurama was silently leaning on the trunk of a tree with his eyes shut. Contemplating on the tardiness of their new member. Yusuke was on the ground not making a sound.

"All aboard, maties!" cried the captain as he raised his hooked hand and glared at all of them with his patched eye to emphasize his meaning. Kuwabara looked at the forest hoping to see their member but he saw nothing of the sort. He panicked as the other demons started to board the ship leaving them the only one who isn't coming. Kuwabara shouted again,

"Hey, wait! We're still missing a member!" He hoped the captain would listen but he only yelled back,

"Those who are short of members get lost!" Hiei was looking at the scene unfold with mild interest but when he heard that they were to be left behind, he unsheathed his katana and was instantly threatening the captain. To his dismay, the captain was already familiar with threats from demons his rank and remained unfazed. Kurama spoke as calmly as ever,

"I believe that will not be unnecessary, Hiei. Our fifth member is already here with some friends." Kuwabara and Hiei looked at the entrance to the forest and indeed there were shadows of two adults and one of a child. They heard the familiar cold voice of their member,

"Honestly, you boys can't stay put for a moment, can you? Why do you even need to create such a fuss?" the figure stepped out of the shadows followed by the others. There was Kagome in her usual black fighting attire and mask; behind her was a girl with her demon-slaying outfit, a gigantic boomerang on her back and her hair in a high ponytail; and the last was perched on Kagome's right shoulder, he had a fluffy tail and his hair was gathered in a blue bow.

"Is this the team you need to join, Kagome? I half expected them to be more…skilled and intimidating." Commented Sango dryly as she looked over the members of the group. She shook her head disappointedly and Kagome said with impatience lacing her voice,

"Are we going to get on the bloody ship or stand here looking like idiots?" With that she and her friends got on the boat. Kurama followed with an amused smiled gracing his features. Kuwabara was forced to carry the _sleeping_ Urameshi onto the ship and Hiei merely 'hn-ed' and went on board as well. The captain was in the ship once more and started to sail off, not caring whether he was almost killed doing his job or the fact that a strange, powerful miko just entered his ship.

In a while Kuwabara started to complain, "Where are all the pretty waitresses and food around here?" Sango and Shippo looked at each other and started to giggle at the buffoon's whining. Kagome sighed and said, "Did you really expect those on the way to a _demon tournament_, Kuwabara?" his stupidity is growing by the mere minute. The carrot-top kept murmuring about those waitresses and food.

As the ship neared an island, the captain announced through the microphone,

"Only one group will reach the island and be able to compete. And that's the group who'll win the preliminary match that will be held on this ship!" as he finished his announcement, the ship started to quake. Kuwabara was trying not to fall flat on his face as he said,

"It's an earthquake!" Hiei, who was standing on the railing of the ship, said with annoyance,

"Fool, there can't be earthquakes on the water."

"Look!" exclaimed the fox. Everyone turned to where his attention was and saw the ship's floor split into two and start to separate revealing a round battle arena in its wake. All the apparitions on board were surprised that the crew was able to hide such an enormous thing on board.

"Choose your most powerful fighter and the winner will be the sixteenth group!"

"Since it is a leader's responsibility…" he trailed off as a few demons stood beside him and something about, "Sharpening their claws,"; "Killing as many apparitions as I want after turning that Urameshi punk inside-out, of course," and a few more trialed after as they all made their way to the arena. Kuwabara's confidence faltered but he made it look like he regained his _cool_ and started to laugh maniacally and continued,

"Like I said, it is a leader's responsibility… Hey Urameshi, wake up!" noticing Yusuke's non-responsive body he started to shake the spirit detective while shouting, "Urameshi, I SAID IT'S A GROUP LEADER'S RESPONSIBILITY! Why won't you wake up!" he was stopped by Kurama's words,

"Stop, it is obvious that Yusuke is all worn out from his training."

"Then who's going to fight all the big monsters?" asked Kuwabara as he dropped the spirit detective with a 'thud'.

"Useless!" Kagome stomped her foot in irritation and walked in the direction of the arena as well. Sango was about to stop her but Shippo put a hand on his aunt's shoulder and shook his head. Kurama caught this action in the corner of his eyes but decided to keep silent for now. Hiei was smirking at the boldness of the masked female. Kuwabara felt a little uneasy. He, too was about to protest but Hiei silenced him by saying,

"Let's see how well she does in combat."

"What if she doesn't win?" asked the carrot-top with worry. He didn't really mean for a girl to fight for them. It went against his code. But he couldn't really do anything about it now seeing as she was already on the arena. With her hands in her pockets and eyes downcast, she stood as still as the dead.

"Then We'll just kill every apparition on board and say we're the right team, then no one will complain." replied Hiei with a sadistic smirk. Kuwabara looked at him disbelievingly, "You didn't have many friends did you?" turning back to their fifth membr,

"What is she doing!?" screamed the anxious carrot-top. Sango and Shippo did not show any facial emotions as they watched their loved one not doing anything for her defense. However, their hands were clenched so tight it drew blood. They could only pray for her safety. Even if it was only a few low-level demons, they were still a big number.

(On the arena [Kagome's P.O.V.]…)

I could sense every feeling emanating from my group but I decided to force the fear I have down into oblivion. I hate being underestimated. I hate being thought of as a weight and a nuisance. I want to be respected; I want to be honored, as well. Damn those men who think they can rule over me. Damn those who make decisions for me without my consent. Damn!

I hear the footsteps of those demons. So they decided to kill me first and then go on each other later. Why? Because they think I'm weak! I'm not! And they will die for this insolence. I will make sure of that.

I open my eyes and narrow them to slits. Eyeing my opponents, I remove my hands from their resting place (Not the type meant for the dead!) and pour enough energy into them for incinerating these low lives. I charged forward as well and heard "What the hell is she doing!?" from Kuwabara. I know that idiot has a good heart but it doesn't make up for his brain.

With my newly enhanced speed I appear before each of my attackers and before they can react, I slice them in half without mercy. I can't believe Kuwabara feared these punks; they're nothing but a bunch of weaklings! My grandfather's useless sutras would work on these demons! Any way, I kept my attention fixed into killing them but before I had half my fun, they were all dead…

In disappointment, I walk down the stairs. I was met by the carrot-top who was saying, "Hey, you're pretty tough, who taught you all those awesome moves?!" I tried to suppress my annoyance and pointed behind him. When he looked around he saw a demon getting ready to bite his head off. I heard Kurama say,

"It looks like they stole your idea, Hiei."

"Yes, we'll make them pay dearly for that." Replied the Jaganshi as he unsheathed his katana once more this night.

"Agreed." All three of us jumped high in the air and started to fight again. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu and sliced about fifty demons in its path before returning to her possession. Hiei slaughtered ten demons in a swing of his sword. Kurama let out his trademark rose whip and twirled it around, killing thirty apparitions in a twirl. I performed my previous stunts again and murdered more demons. Kuwabara was left on the ground tossing demons off his person and finally unleashing his spirit sword.

Unknown to us a demon made his way to Yusuke's sleeping figure and was about to stab the spirit detective when he was suddenly punched and sent hurling towards the other side of the ship. Yusuke was yelling in his sleep, "Damn it grandma! Stop it you old hag!" and he fell asleep again.

"Wow, I didn't know Urameshi could talk in his sleep." mumbled Kuwabara.

"What are you mumbling about?" asked Kurama. Hiei answered for the preoccupied carrot-top, "He's trying to talk in his sleep while he's awake." I had to smirk at that. I felt Shippo latch himself on my leg and I picked him up and carried him to our spot with Sango right behind me.

"Hey, what happened to the demons we were fighting?" asked the carrot-top. "Every one's dead." replied Kurama offhandedly. I heard the captain murmur,

"Sakyo was right. Those punks were no match for them. I guess I'll have to wait for the Dark Tournament to see them slaughtered."

Like hell you will…

We arrived on the island and went towards a fancy looking hotel. Stepping inside, we saw tons of adults dressed in fancy clothes. And making crude comments about us as we entered…

Oh, don't worry; we'll get them back at those comments sooner or later…

But now we have to think about how to survive on our first day here and at the official tournament...

TBC…


	5. First Fighters Step Up!

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 5

(Normal P.O.V.)

The group entered their suite and Kuwabara instantly tossed Yusuke onto the couch and started to look around. Sango and Shippo marveled at the exquisiteness of the room but decided to register their own room; after all they weren't part of the group, anyway. Kagome figured she had nothing better to do so she accompanied her friends to the desk of the accountant. The boys watched as they left and decided to wait for Kagome's return before discussing their current situation.

After about thirty minutes she arrived back inside and sat down on the couch looking bored. Kurama looked at her expectantly as if wanting her to start a conversation. He heard Kagome sigh, irritated. Hiei sought out what was bothering the girl now and smirked inwardly. _So it seems she can hear the fox's thoughts…_ Kuwabara was freaked out at her sudden reaction to nothing and scooted as far away from her as possible. Yusuke, who was still on the couch, continued his sleep without a sign of ever waking up.

A knock was heard and a waiter came in with a trolley topped with their tea. He greeted them and served the drinks then left without another word. Kuwabara eyed his cup suspiciously and dug into his sack. Hiei stared the carrot-top and asked,

"What on Earth are you doing?"

"Aha! I was looking for my soda. I don't ever trust grown-ups who dress that fancy. What if they tried to poison us?" He opened his can and started to take huge gulps of his 'safe drink'.

"Honestly, Kuwabara, why would they poison us when they can try and kill us during the tournament?" asked Kurama skeptically as he picked up his cup.

"Fine, stay with your logic but I'm sticking to my good ole' soda." Kagome rolled her eyes and picked up a cup. She received a snicker from Kuwabara. Narrowing her eyes menacingly she asked,

"What?"

"Well, how are you going to drink with your mouth covered, huh?" he attempted to tease her but failed. Kagome stood up and walked to the edge of the window and started to tug on her mask. The curtain blocked her reflection on the glass so no one could see her. She heard Kuwabara whine about not being fair. She answered,

"Life isn't fair, Kuwabara. You should get used to the fact." She took a sip of her tea and looked out the window. She could hear the men drink their own tea; sensing nothing was wrong, she listened to the ocean breeze and inhaled the smell the faint aroma of the salty sea that calmed her down considerably.

"Why is there only one coffee cup on the table?" inquired the demon fox suddenly. The other members looked at the table; Kagome looked using the reflection on the window and indeed Kurama was right. But Kuwabara's brain did not register their situation fully and said,

"That's the one I'm not drinking, remember. Duh, we had this conversation."

"Yes, so there should be two: one for you and one for Yusuke." explained the fox patiently. Kuwabara looked at the sleeping boy on the couch and thought out loud,

"Wow, do you think Urameshi…could drink in his sleep, too?" sensing some one, Kagome covered her mouth again and faced the rest of her group. She placed her cup on the table.

That's when they heard a slurp; everyone jumped and eyed the source of the one who made the sound. They saw nothing but a boy at the age of eleven or twelve balancing himself on the 'missing cup' that was now empty. Kuwabara yelled

"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE BEFORE US!?" The boy spoke,

"Fiver, fiver, I came AFTER you did. Isn't that what good boys are supposed to do? Oops, I guess I did forget to knock though." All of the members of the Urameshi team calmed themselves a little.

"You must be the guests of this year's tournament. I wish we could be the guests. You don't have to sit and listen to all the rules. I'm going to be on the Rokuyokai team that you're fighting tomorrow. Maybe that's why you won't know anything about the prizes and stuff 'cause you're gonna be dead soon."

_What is this kid? He talks of death as if it's a toy! _Thought Kuwabara as he stared at the boy who looked so innocent.

"Rinku, what are you doing here?" this time the voice came from the door. As they all started revert their gaze to the door, a figure stood there looking bored. Rinku jumped down and went to the man with blonde hair and spoke,

"Hi, Zeru. I was just saying 'How Dee Do' to our enemies"

"Let's go." But before they left our leading group alone, Zeru sliced the untouched cup on the table in half and finally left. Kagome growled inhumanely and went to her room and slammed the door. Kurama sat back down on the couch to finish his tea; inwardly worrying about their fifth member. Hiei sat on the windowsill, lost in his own musings. Kuwabara yawned and went to his room as well.

Kagome couldn't get some rest that night so she sneaked out of the suite and headed to the shore for some fresh air. Her mask was still on, just in case. Unknown to her, she wasn't the only one who couldn't get some shut-eye. Kurama stood on the shore, savoring the salty fragrance that was the sea. Kagome only noticed him when she arrived. She decided to make this work the best way it can. After all, she didn't forget their previous encounter. Standing beside him, she spoke,

"So you couldn't sleep either?"

"I do not sleep as often as normal ningens do. And you?" Kurama was not looking at his visitor but he had every intention of listening to her. This, Kagome knew. _Oh, what the hell… _she thought drawly.

"Same. I've had tons of late night shard-hunting experiences."

"I see."

After that the two of them drifted off into a comfortable silence. The pair stayed like that until the sun rose and the rest to get up. Deciding to go back inside before anyone notices, both entered their respective room. Not bothering to talk about their late night conversation, Kurama wordlessly volunteered to arrange the table and Kagome went of into the kitchen to make some well deserved breakfast for everyone before their first match.

"Hn…" was their greeting from the fire apparition. He was watching them from his place on the windowsill. As Kuwabara came down with a still-sleeping Yusuke on his back, he gaped at the food seen before him. There was bacon and eggs and there was an alternate choice of pancakes for breakfast. The beverages were either coffee or tea.

"Wow… I didn't know you could cook…" he simply tossed the spirit detective on the couch and seated himself. He stared at Kagome warily as she shrugged her shoulders saying,

"There are many things you don't know about, Kuwabara."

Putting that comment aside, along with his more practical self, he dug in without a second thought. Kurama let a small smile grace his lips. Hiei had no reaction whatsoever and Kagome shook her head lightly.

After every one ate and got ready, they headed for the arena to face their first challenge: Team Rokuyokai. Kuwabara – with Yusuke still on his back – went on the ring. The referee cheerily announced,

"HELLO THERE TO ALL YOU BLOOD THIRSTY DEMONS! YOUR ONLY HOSTESS OF THE MOSTESS: KOTO!"

There came a wave of loud shouts and curses from the demon-filled audience. As Koto announced for the leaders to come up and discuss the terms of this round, Kuwabara and Zeru agreed on a one-on-one combat. As they started to go back to their respective groups, Zeru unleashed a fearful fire power display. It burned a quarter of the audience. Koto said something about "audience participation". But Zeru was really pissed because Yusuke still didn't wake up and no one in the group but Kuwabara was fazed by his little stunt. After the calling for the first fighters were done, Rinku and Kuwabara stepped up. Kagome sensed that this was going to be boring so she decided to look for her friends as she waited. Kurama noticed her leave and followed. He saw Kagome take a left at a corner and followed.

When he did, Kagome was instantly holding an energy powered knife at his throat. Kurama saw realization flash in her eyes and she lowered her hand as she dismissed her weapon. Having a skeptical look on her face, she asked,

"What are you doing following me around, Kurama?"

"I was wondering where you were going at the beginning of the tournament." He answered truthfully.

"If you really must to know, I have a feeling I won't get any action in this round so I decided to wander around a bit."

"Well, I know for a fact that you will not be bored if you watch the battle."

"Oh, fine, have it your way."

With that the two walked back to arena just to see Kuwabara plummet into the ring face first. Mysteriously Botan was here but they decided to ignore the matter for now. (I didn't mention the arrival of the girls and Koenma because I concentrated too much on the tournament. Sorry). Looking back at Kuwabara, he injured Rinku but was held out of the ring by the yoyo's. So in the end the carrot-top still lost. Everyone in the group sweat dropped at his stupidity.

_Oh boy… _thought Kagome exasperatedly. She was indeed amused but disappointed at the same time. How could someone as stupid as Kuwabara survive in a demon tournament? One can only hope…

Yusuke was making comments in his sleep, too, and it was like he could see what the hell was going on.

This is going to be a long day…

TBC…


	6. Flowery Death

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 6

"All right people! And now for the next contestants, please step up!"announced Koto. Kurama wordlessly went up.

"It's Kurama vs. Roto!" Kurama saw a glint of worry in the eyes of Kagome; he made a short telepathic conversation,

~It's all right, Kagome. This will be quick. ~

=Who said anything about it being slow? =

Kurama allowed himself a small smile before turning fully to face his enemy. It seems as though this demon knows something about him that he doesn't. Kurama eyed this apparition with great caution and seeing as this creature is obviously no match for him, the fox stayed still and calm; waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Irritated, the demon known as Roto, tried to punch the easily evading AND smiling Kurama. It was like playing with one's prey before landing a final blow. Roto was restless; he kept swinging his transformed arm hoping to coincidentally hit the fox but to no avail.

Getting bored, Kurama appeared at the back of the unsuspecting Roto and prepared to land a deathblow behind his neck but the demon spoke,

"What would you say if I had your human mother's life in my hands, Kurama?"

Distracted, Kurama got himself cut across his left cheek, blood trailed down his face. Roto snickered darkly and pulled a gadget of sorts out from his jacket. Waving it around for everyone to see. Kagome picked up their conversation and growled menacingly at the demon's filthy tactics. Kuwabara and Hiei stared at the ningen female and wondered if she was really a ningen then reverted their eyes back to the fight. Kurama heard the growl and inwardly smiled. _Hmm… She is not as human as she thinks…_ Saving that thought for later, Kurama faced his smirking opponent.

"I know about your interaction with humans for 15 years, Kurama. I see that they have made you weak. With a push of this button, my brother, who has been tracking your mother for some time now, will kill her instantly! Easy, isn't it?" Roto laughed and continued to talk as Kurama remained immobile.

"Now, put your hands behind your back and let me hit you as much as I like." Kurama did as he was told; his emotionless eyes never left the disgusting creature.

"What is this?! Kurama who obviously had the upper hand is obeying Roto's orders! What could be going on in this kitsune's red-head?!" exclaimed the referee.

Walking slowly towards the fox, Roto's smirk grew. When he reached his seemingly helpless opponent, he punched Kurama hard in the face. Continuing his assault, Kurama shot him a rock at his face. Noticing this, Roto stopped but after realizing that it was only a stone he only sneered and punched Kurama again.

"Look at that people, Kurama has become totally obedient to Roto and is getting punched without hesitation by him! Ooh, don't you love it?" commented Koto through the microphone. The crowd cheered.

Roto stopped as he lost interest in beating the kitsune; rather he was annoyed at Kurama's expressionless face. He transformed his arm once more into some sort of sword and brought it to Kurama's injured cheek.

"Don't give me that look." He traced the tip of the blade over Kurama's previous cut resulting into an X-shaped scar on his features. Kurama did not change the way he looked at the pathetic excuse for a demon. He could see the sweat forming on Roto's forehead but made no move.

"Oh well, I could spare your mother if you would be so kind as to lick the scum off my boots. I just can't seem to keep them clean." He licked his blade in a disgusting manner as he lifted his foot for the fox to lick clean. Kurama removed his hands from his back and started to wipe the dirt from his shirt.

"Go ahead. Press it if you wish." His voice was uncaring as he disposed the dust from his person. Kagome wondered with the rest just what the kitsune was up to. Confused, Roto starts to sweat even more. Thinking of a way to get the upper hand again, he resides into threatening the legendary bandit,

"There! I knew you couldn't resist betraying your human mother to save your own skin! Look at me like dirt but in the end you're just the same! You're nothing special!" Paying his words no heed and getting quite tired of hearing his vile voice, Kurama ordered,

"Push it!"

"I will!" Roto was about to press the button when he felt a seering pain in his chest. Looking down he saw a sprout embedded in his body. _He used the stone as a distraction before so I wouldn't notice the seed!_ Kagome let out a silent but relieved sigh. Hiei smirked and Kuwabara was still completely oblivious to what was happening.

Kurama neared his newly caught prey and slapped his hand to loose hold of the remote. Catching it, Kurama said,

"What if I truly didn't care?" Putting his right hand to his chin and posing as if deep in thought, he continued,

"I have sowed the death seed in your body and it had enough time to take root. I need only to will it and you will be dead within the span of three seconds." Walking away, Kurama heard the begging of the demon,

"C'mon Kurama I was only joking. I would have never pressed the button. I swear! C'mon Kurama, you believe in mercy don't you?" turning back one last time, he replied,

"No." And with that vines sprouted out of the demon's body, killing him in the process. _Such irony; such beauty sprung from such an ugly source, _he thought. The score board showed a tie between the two teams and so the battle continues.

Jumping down from the ring he let himself be bombarded with cheers from Kuwabara. And Yusuke, while still asleep, mumbled "What a relief." Kurama looked over at Kagome whose arms were crossed over her chest looking pissed. Walking over to her, he asked,

"Did I do something unpleasant?"

"No, but you did something stupid." Putting a hand on his injured cheek, Kagome healed it no problem. Kurama was startled at first but he seemed to relax in her touch. Removing her hand from his cheek, she inspected her work and nodded triumphantly. Kuwabara came over to them and exclaimed,

"Hey! I need to be healed, too!"

"Idiot, your injuries require Botan's abilities. Not mine." With that said Kagome walked with Kurama to a place where they can watch Hiei's turn in battle with Zeru from a safe distance. They had a feeling things'll get pretty burnt up.

TBC…

Thanks again for the reviews! Please keep them up! ^__^*


	7. Dragon of the Darkness Flame

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 7

Looking over at the fire apparition, Kagome concluded that this Zeru was going to die in a very frightening way and in a way that she was not going to enjoy… Kurama sensed Kagome's unease and reassured her through telepathic communication,

~Do not worry about Hiei. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. ~

=Yes, that is the exact way thinking that left you almost defenseless. Well, what ever you say… I still have a bad feeling about this, though. =

~I sense it as well. But Hiei requires our support no matter what he says. ~

=Hmm…=

"All right, third fighters; COME ON!" shouted the overexcited Koto. Hiei stepped up and so did Zeru. Kurama thought it was a little too early for the leader to fight but nothing he could say or do will stop them. Their fight has already begun.

"So you manipulate fire. I saw the traces in the teacup. Impressive, you managed to break it with fire." stated Hiei. Zeru let his ego build up too much though.

"Yeah, so what?" they never left the other's sight as Zeru let out a great amount of firepower and gathered them in his hands and prepared to attack the unfazed fire apparition. It irritated him the way the members of this group are able to stare down at their opponent even if they, themselves, are the ones who are seemingly about to lose. Especially that masked woman; she gives him the creeps. Like she's trying to tell him, "I've already killed many of your kind, so you are just a piece of cake." He wanted her to die by his hands after he's done with shorty.

Charging in, he punched Hiei with his fiery fist. Hiei was unable to comprehend this and was thrown across the ring and was set ablaze. Zeru marveled at his work and stared at the miko who was unperturbed by his 'victory'. Looking at him in the same degrading manner as always. He shot a fireball in her direction but it was instantly blocked by a barrier. Kagome narrowed her eyes at this and she looked so menacing that Zeru felt tremendous fear. But he didn't show it.

He was about to leave the ring when he heard a laugh coming from the supposedly dead Hiei. The fire apparition was indeed alive and his Jagan was wide open. Flames swirled around him and he spoke,

"Not bad. But you're still an amateur. You have angered the Jagan and I am not the one to oppose its commands." He lifted his right arm and looked at it briefly before saying,

"I guess my right arm will do. The Jagan may not be natural but it does give me exactly what I need!" With that, the fire apparition had his right arm encased in a black flame with his Jagan glowing. The waters around the island started to come up around the island in large pillars. Kagome looked around and felt a terrible aura. It made her want to faint but she struggled to stay awake, breathing heavily. Kurama was agape at the power. He didn't know Hiei could summon _that_. It required skill and a great amount of training. He noticed the miko's predicament and held her gloved hand in a reassuring manner.

Hiei yelled as he unleashed a dragon from the arm,

"Dragon... of the…Darkness Flame!" with that an overly huge black dragon shot after Zeru and he tried to block but failed miserably. He was pushed by the dragon out of the ring and incinerated him as they made contact with the wall. Koto, who was hiding outside the ring came back up and looked at the contestants: one was burned to a crisp and the other was standing there shirtless with a burnt arm.

"AND THE WINNER IS…HIEI!!!" the score board made the announcement official and Hiei stepped down from the ring and put his uninjured arm in his pocket. Kuwabara was cheering for Hiei but making sure to stay away from the victorious demon as he said,

"Uh, you wouldn't summon that dragon again, right?"

"I won't kill you yet. I'm with this group until the end of the tournament." He said monotonously as he passed the carrot-top. Feeling a little better, Kuwabara kept boasting to every one about their victory like the idiot he is. The rest sweat dropped. Kagome went over to Hiei, removing her glove; she placed a pale hand on his burnt arm. Feeling a calming aura, Hiei relaxed a bit. Kurama was surprised that she tried to help the fire apparition but turned to Hiei and asked,

"Why did you use the dragon, Hiei?"

"Hn." was his only reply. Kurama knew better. Hiei realized he couldn't defeat Zeru with the swing of his sword so he resorted to summoning the Dragon of the Darkness Flame to do the job. This attack took its toll on Hiei as well. He won't be able to use his right arm for a long period of time.

"And I thought Kuwabara was the only stupid one. You two are just as worse…" mumbled Kagome as she lifted her hand. The burn subsided but it did not heal completely. Hiei examined her work and seemed satisfied with this. As for her earlier statement,

"At least our stupidity earned us some points." Kagome's eyes softened a bit. And Kurama added,

"And we even came out without shame." Sure Kurama was polite but you couldn't deny him a little tease once in a while. Kuwabara who was listening made an angry "Hey!" in the background.

"Touché." Kagome let a smile creep onto her face but thanked the Kamis for the mask. Hiei and Kurama were not fooled and smiled a bit as well. Then noticed Yusuke was no where to be found.

"Where is Yusuke?" she asked out loud. Every one scanned the area for the missing spirit detective but found no trace of him. Then they heard a,

"So who's gonna fight me?" up on the ring they could see Yusuke who was now awake and ready to fight.

_Boys…_ thought Kagome as she followed the boys to nice resting spot on the ground and waited for Yusuke's fight to begin…

TBC…

Thanks again for the reviews! I love them! ^__^


	8. Karasu's Appearance

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 8

Kagome sat down on the grass, folding her arms and closing her eyes getting for a short nap. Kurama was seating himself beside her without a word but Hiei remained standing, wanting to see Yusuke's fight clearly. Kurama made another mental conversation with the miko beside him,

~What would you say if Yusuke were to lose, now? ~

=I would skin that insolent brat alive and take the next moron up for a fight. Why? = her reply was in a matter-of-fact kind of tone which made the kitsune stifle a chuckle.

~I see. I just wanted to make sure you were still interested in this tournament. Now I see why Yusuke could have slept so peacefully on the way here when you arrived. ~

=I doubt, he must have just fainted when he saw me again and willed himself to remain asleep… =

Kurama couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Hiei who was secretly listening to their conversation shook as he held his laughter inside, as well. They watched on as a drunken, Australian guy came up the stage after killing the last two cowards in his team. He looked to be a replacement. His hair was unmistakably like a rocker with a weird taste. He was swaying here and there in attempt to get on the ring. He and Yusuke had a little conversation which sounded like an ordinary challenge.

Kagome felt the strange energy that revolved around this guy; it was all-in-all new. She has to admit, Yusuke does have interesting fights. However, she quickly lost her interest in the Australian after he went to the edge of the ring and…puked. EW! Honestly, how can men be so disgusting and unsophisticated at times of extreme seriousness? You've got to be joking! Ugh! She stood up and made her way outside the arena again, shaking her head to clear her mind. Kurama and Hiei noticed her leaving and nodded to the other.

At that, the fox stood again and followed her; which he realized was all he had been doing as of late. Hiei stayed to observe Yusuke's match and will inform them later. As he caught up to her, he saw that something was suddenly troubling the miko. She didn't even greet him when he stood beside her. Something or someone was approaching them. Its aura was even worse than the drunk. Kagome stopped in her tracks and as did Kurama; both were feeling uneasy as a silhouette of a man was outlined through the darkness of the tunnel.

His footsteps were loud in the almost unbreakable silence. As he neared them, they saw him fully. He had long, black hair that resembled disgusting weeds that were straight. His clothing was a black coat over his black attire and the edges of his coat looked jagged; similar to a bat's wings. On his pale face was a mask; different from Kagome's but a mask nonetheless. But his eyes were the most terrible things to be seen on him: they were sort of beady and filled with evil pleasure that allowed him to slake a disgusting thirst.

He walked up to them and stopped in front of Kagome, who was glaring at him with immense hostility. He towered over her by a few inches but Kagome's stare never acknowledged this fact and continued to stare him down. Kurama was eyeing this man with extreme caution. He knew what horrible actions this demon could do. He has seen him before but they never paid heed to the other.

"Well what do we have here?" ha said as he looked over at Kagome with interest. He turned to Kurama but his eyes lingered over Kagome longer. Turning once more to the miko, he spoke again,

"It is rather rare to have a miko in a demon tournament. You must be brave to venture here with a former bandit for protection." The man circled Kagome like a vulture and stopped at her back. He put his fingers in her locks and ran down them gently. Kagome was alarmed and before she knew it, she stepped on the man's foot hard enough for him to be caught off guard and long enough for her to turn and land a high kick on his head. Kurama stood there watching the scene unfold with amusement; one minute the guy was molesting her and the next she gave him a powerful hit at the base of his neck.

"Feisty, aren't you?" the stranger stood and was suddenly behind her with her hands captured in his. Saying something in her ear, he inhaled her scent but stopped abruptly as he felt pain shoot through his body and saw Kurama with his eyes filled with anger. The man let go of her and backed away putting his hands in his pockets. He left them after introducing himself as Karasu.

Kagome trembled not in fright but in hate. She let out a growl and proceeded outside, ignoring the still following fox. They could hear Yusuke's screams and Chu's, the drunk, cries and not to mention the crowds roar. Kagome's mind was far from these instead she ventured deep in the forest and finally spoke,

"Kurama, if you want to stay alive I suggest you jump into a tree, now!" it was clearly an order and he did not want an angry miko on his heels. So he jumped in a tree and watched as Kagome released a great amount of energy in the clearing and it formed into a vortex of a kind. With her still inside, the thing grew bigger as she fed it with almost all her power, but she wasn't as naïve as before. She knew she needed even a little amount of the said energy. Kurama marveled at the giant vortex around the miko. It was indeed a sight to see; how could such a fragile body hold tremendous power.

He knew why she did this; it was to avoid killing everyone in the arena. She could've purified all of them out of her anger but again she showed a great self-control and with that his respect for this woman grew.

As her energy disappeared, Kagome almost fell to the ground if not for Kurama. He scooped her up and headed back to the others. He was wary with his surroundings lest they ran into that man, Karasu, was his name if he remembered correctly. Carrying the unconscious girl in his arms he went straight to their suite and laid her on a couch and seated himself beside her. Trying to keep awake and guard her but sleep soon found him. He knew he needed to explain their absence to the group when he woke up but he was too tired to think about what he should say…

This is going to be a long day…

TBC…


	9. Explaining

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 9

Well, when the Urameshi Team entered their suite triumphantly, they saw a very tired Kurama and a yawning Kagome. They could tell even if her mask was on. Kuwabara was looking at them astonishingly, with his mouth agape and Hiei merely 'hn-ed'. Yusuke was smirking, thinking that they, well, you know. Well, they were both on the couch and Kurama had put his arm over Kagome's waist in his sleep.

Kagome was starting to wake up when,

"Oh, my god! Did you guys just do _that?_!" Kuwabara was fuming and pointed an accusing finger on their position. Kagome and Kurama were now fully awake and equally alarmed at the outburst. After registering what Kuwabara said, Kagome narrowed her eyes into slits and rose to face Kuwabara head on. She walked towards him and punched him hard in the stomach.

"If I hear you say that one more time, Kuwabara, I will not hesitate to kill you…" her voice was so dark that everyone in the room was silent. Not bothering to talk to any one else, she left the room and sought out her friends again. Kurama watched as she left and sighed deeply. Everyone's attention was on him and he sweat dropped. Nonetheless, he started to explain…

After a while…

"Oh. So that's what happened." Said Yusuke and he looked at Kuwabara pathetically.

"What? She should have just told us…she didn't have to punch me that hard. Ow…" defended the carrot-top as he clenched his hurting stomach.

"Hn, I guess that's what you get for insulting a miko with such crimes." Commented Hiei dryly. Yusuke couldn't help but ask,

"What do you mean by 'insulting' and 'crimes'?" Kurama was the one, who answered,

"She is a miko and miko consider intercourse as something that is sacred; only to be done with the one you love and no one else. She thought it was a crime or an insult, if you prefer, because it is degradingly low for her to have intercourse with someone other than a lover. Even then, it is forbidden because miko are to remain pure until the day the die."

"…okaaay…"

After that, everyone switched the subject on who they were to fight against next…

(The next day…)

Every one in the Urameshi team was silent as they headed towards the arena. Kurama and Hiei were no where to be found and the remaining three didn't like to talk so everything was quiet. Yusuke and Kuwabara developed a sense of fear and respect for Kagome. She mildly admired these boys' determination to survive every fight, they reminded her of herself when she wasn't like this at all…

Kuwabara was also silent because of a weird dream he had about a dying master, his students and a creepy-looking doctor. Anyway, they were all wondering where Kurama and Hiei were exactly.

They went to the side of the ring and saw that the Dr, Ichigaki Team was also short on members…

Kuwabara recognized the students from his dream and was surprised because they looked stoic but in the dream they looked quite gentle seeing as how they loved their master.

Oh well…

TBC…

NEXT TIME ON ALTERNATE TOURNAMENT:

"Under the Mask" Kagome's face is exposed!

Sorry if it's a bit short T_T


	10. Under the Mask!

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 10

"Urameshi, those are the guys I saw in my dream last night!" cried a confused Kuwabara. Yusuke looked at him as if he was a lunatic before answering him in a loud, irritated voice,

"What are you telling me that for?! That's not gonna help us, Kuwabara!" putting a hand on his hip and the other, balled into a fist; Yusuke was thinking of a way on how to get out of this fight alive without Kurama or Hiei. He saw this team fight, and, boy, are they scary. Adding to that is the disappearance of his rei gun. As Yusuke was contemplating on what to do, Koenma, in teenage form appeared out of thin air, in front of Yusuke which caused him to jump 3 feet high!

"Yo!" was Koenma's greeting. Yusuke regained from his shock and yelled,

"Don't just show up out of nowhere! Damn it! You'll be the death of me… Who are you anyway? Let's see; a pacifier and a dorky looking 'Jr.' sign on the forehead… you're…KOENMA?!" Laughing with Kuwabara he added,

"Since when did you get out of your diapers?! Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Kagome let out a smirk. Koenma decided that he had had enough of this ridiculous joke, getting on to business, he spoke,

"Yusuke, I just wanted to inform you that your egg is about to hatch." Stopping his laughs, Yusuke turned to the rei prince and asked,

"Excuse me?" Sighing Koenma related,

"Your egg with the spirit beast inside it!" revealing a big, golden egg out of his coat, he held it out for others to see. Kagome scoffed at Yusuke's stupidity.

"Ah! So that's the one. What about it?" even Kuwabara isn't this dense. Everyone almost fell upside down. Koenma said that the egg is nearing the day it finally hatches and asks Yusuke to do nothing stupid while he was here. After that, the toddler turned teen was gone.

Kagome remembered to tell Yusuke about his rei gun,

"Try to refrain from using or straining your arm. It will come back if your emotions are in line with the rest of you." He nodded obediently. As she said this, the crowd was screaming their complaints about the shortage in members.

Koto was remarkably calm and announced for the leaders to decide the terms of this fight.

Stepping on the ring, the doctor and Yusuke faced each other. _Holy crap, this guy's uglier up close_! Thought the spirit detective who was inwardly barfing at the sight. Dr. Ichigaki spoke first,

"Well, shall we settle on three on three? Or would you prefer a one on one?" Ichigaki had already computed the strengths of all the members of each team and arrived at the answer that they have about 99.9% chance of winning. Yusuke was weirded out by this demon as he said,

"Men are so useful if they serve as guinea pigs for my experiments. They are so gullible…" walking off of the ring to decide on a strategy, the two teams prepared once more for their fight…

(Meanwhile, with Kurama and Hiei…)

"Hiei, it seems you took your time for nursing your arm." Came the voice of the kitsune from a tree. The fire apparition looked up and saw Kurama sitting leisurely on a branch. They both knew that they sensed some one in the area but remained quiet.

"Hn."

"Shall we head back?"

"Yes, after we deal with our visitors." Turning towards the foliage of greenery, Hiei smirked and Kurama jumped down to face them as well. There they saw the other two members of the Dr. Ichigaki team…

(Back to the fight…)

Yusuke barely dodged the Angel Blades of one of them and at the same time worry about the other's Invisible Slash. Kuwabara was already having trouble as it is with the Grizzly Claw of the third one. Kagome was trying to help the boys get into action but they enemy always manages to close that openings she makes.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, step back now!" they did as they were told and right after that, a crater appeared in the middle of the ring. Kuwabara was willing to try and change the students back to their usual self but he only got beat up after a simultaneous strike. Resulting into intoxication of the carrot-head.

Too engrossed with the happenings with Kuwabara, Yusuke failed to notice the oncoming attack. Kagome having no choice and also because it was an impulse, rushed in, kicked Yusuke out of the way just in time but the blow landed on her. Because of this, it was Kagome who got electrocuted.

"Kagome!!!" shouted Yusuke and it was filled with dread. As the smoke cleared, the mask of Kagome was tattered due to the blow and therefore, people could now see Kagome's face.

For those of us who know her true features, she looks exactly like the girl who fell down the well which were a couple of years or so…

For those who don't know, she had long black hair, blue eyes and a nice body but the eyes are too intimidating than any of her previous looks before. She was a pretty sight. Yusuke whistled and Kuwabara was screaming about not being able to see what the heck was going on.

Just then, there was a crash on the right side of the arena and there was a huge robot-figure with Hiei and Kurama on its sides.

"How did you defeat my robot?!" shouted an alarmed doctor. Kurama answered,

"It was quite easy seeing as it didn't have a functional brain to begin with." Kurama turned to the fight and saw a glimpse of Kagome's face before she took the opportunity to cover it once more. 'Attractive' was the word that came to his mind first but pushed those thoughts away for now…

Knowing that they can't join now, Kurama and Hiei merely kept watch on Dr. Ichigaki, making sure that he doesn't escape until he is rightfully punished.

"Kill us…" were the words that those students said or more like pleaded of them. Yusuke was so pissed of because Kuwabara sacrificed his life for nothing but crap.

Kagome had had enough of this nonsense and decided to use the technique Genkai taught her. After a while of chanting, there was a blue light that shot out of the ground on where she put it.

Forming a sphere she proceeded, to remove the students Varucci off of their backs there fore returning to be more human. After that, the doctor injected something in him, as well.

Then his muscles grew big and his clothing was ripped. Trying to attack Yusuke and Kagome, he failed miserably…

After explain the mechanics of his purpose, there was a war and so Yusuke regained his rei gun due to his heightened emotions. Defeating the Ichigaki team, Yusuke turned to the now well and alive students of another master. They also found out where the doctor has hidden their master which was in the mountains…

TBC…

Read and review 


	11. Ruled Out

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 11

After they sent the students home with their master, the group prepared themselves for the next fighters of Team Masho.

Kagome walked down from the ring and met up with the others. Yusuke was babbling on how great was the 'show' they put on and Kuwabara said that when he saw the 'vortex of light' he could not believe his eyes.

She was indeed grateful but she only felt vulnerability right now, which is understandable. _I will __**not**__ back away now._ She thought with much determination, that determination, though, was draining her of almost all of the energy she has. Only Kurama and Hiei noticed her dilemma but they understood her silence and didn't say anything regarding the subject.

Kagome was suddenly startled to see a red-haired, woman who was wearing a nurses' uniform standing in front of her. Then she spoke leisurely to them to them,

"Tsk, tsk, both of you should get ready to rest up a bit. I am Ruka and I was sent by the committee to escort you to the medical tent and thereby ruling you out of the following fights." She said looking at Kagome and Hiei with false worry.

Yusuke and Kuwabara exclaimed,

"What?!"

"But I'm the one that needs treatment!" Hiei and Kagome glared at the woman. The Jaganshi was speaking to Ruka but looked at Kuwabara,

"Why don't you treat the buffoon instead of us? It is obvious that he needs your 'assistance' more." Ruka turned to him and answered,

"Because his injuries do not interest me in the same way yours do, Hiei." Either she was being a total bi*** or it was really in her nature. The Jaganshi's smirk disappeared and so did his ego. Kurama was eyeing the 'nurse' suspiciously as she tried to take Kagome's arm. The miko hissed,

"Ruka, if you dare touch me any longer, I will annihilate you."

"Yes, but with what? The power that helps you stand right now is your own, true strength. Now, take it or leave it and you will not-" Ruka was cut off when Kagome stood up at her full height. Kagome's eyes were blazing but her tone was calm as she said,

"Ruka, I am capable of handling myself and I don't need a fraud like you to order me around. Now…you either tell those people in the committee that I am legible for battle or I will incinerate the living daylights out of you…_and_ _**everyone**__ in my way_…"

Ruka was visibly starting to sweat and she gulped. Hiei was looking at Ruka smugly. Kurama let a slight curve appear on the corner of his lips. Both were wondering what was keeping her from resting up. They both knew that she drained herself dry with that attack but her will to fight was remarkable. Yusuke was chuckling as Ruka cowered from Kagome in a subtle way.

However…

"Kagome and Hiei have been ruled out of the following fights for this round due to their serious conditions as of this moment. If they do not wish to cooperate with us, their team will be forced to forfeit." was the announcement from the committee and this, of course, made Kagome's head boil. She was about to protest but was cut short by an electrifying energy surging relentlessly through her sides. Her eyes were closed tightly with pain.

Kurama's eyes widened and he was about to stop Ruka but a barrier stopped him. Hiei growled and Yusuke was screaming his head off. Kuwabara was fighting Botan's protests but to no avail. Sango was on the brink of throwing her boomerang and charging into the arena. Shippo was holding her back ineffectively.

When Ruka stopped, Kagome fell to her knees and panted. Ruka stepped back with a look of shock but replaced it with false satisfaction in a matter of seconds. Looking at Hiei, she challenged him to share the same fate but he merely snorted and looked at Team Masho with slit eyes. Kurama knelt down next to Kagome and put her arm around his neck and asked her softly,

"Are you-?"

"I'm fine…_*groan*_ I want you to tell Ruka that she will receive something unpleasant when this is over… And so will that bloody committee…_*groan*_…Can you put me in the tent so we can finish up here early?"

Nodding, he lifted her up and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. He led her to the tent and was followed by Hiei who was keeping an eye- or three eyes, if I do say so myself, on Ruka. After laying Kagome down, she sat up slowly and gave Kurama a stern look. He, in return, gave her an apologetic smile and headed off to join Yusuke and Kuwabara.

Hiei stepped in and watched as Ruka put up a barrier around them almost too quickly. He smirked and knew exactly why she was in such a hurry.

Kurama looked at Yusuke seriously and said,

"Yusuke, we have to play our cards very carefully now. With Kagome and Hiei claimed to be illegible to fight, we are going to have a slight problem."

"Hey! Can you guys fill me in on this? I can still fight too, you know!" yelled Kuwabara from across the arena. Yusuke and Kurama ignored him and made an agreement: Kurama would hold off for as long as he can and until then, Yusuke is to remain on stand-by. Koto was on the microphone and was quite eager to know who will be fighting next.

Without another word, Kurama stepped up and so did a guy named Gama. Gama and the others were and are shinobi or ninja, if you people prefer. They have sought out demons that got way in out of their heads. They are the ones that kept bringing back the balance if it's tipped over.

_I wonder what their motivation is for this tournament…_

TBC…


	12. Kurama's Struggle Part1

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 12

Kagome watched from inside the tent as Gama was whispering something about how inferior human make up was to his. She watched as he unsheathed his chosen weapons of… paintbrushes?

Okay…

Gama applied face paint on his face and body therefore making him look more intimidating. Kagome could see the aura which was released by Gama. It was stronger, and creepier. It made her skin crawl in disgust. A sick feeling came to her stomach as she _inhaled_ the damn thing. If it wasn't for her self-control, she would have gagged, BIG TIME!

She watched as Gama covered Kurama's ankles with paint while Kurama tried to avoid him. When Kurama's right ankle was painted, he felt it become heavier. As if he was attached to a huge truck. This continued until his wrists and his torso were also covered with paint. Kagome growled at this…

She knew immediately that this kind of paint binds its victims to the weight of 200 lbs. each, at the very least. Worried for the fox she tried to gather up her remaining energy and let it go to Kurama to ease his burden.

Kagome saw the fox's eyes widen as he felt the energy surrounding him gently. He could feel it almost _lifting_ the weight on his body with him: making it easier for the fox to move. He opened a telepathic link between them without letting Gama notice the difference on what was really going on.

~Kagome, what on earth are you doing?!~ He asked worriedly. Her well being was just as important to him as his companions' and his own. Risking her health was not something he would do offhandedly.

-Helping you. What the committee doesn't know can't hurt you, right? …- she replied teasingly as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

~And you? ~

-Do you think they would even dare, Kurama? No, they wouldn't, not with Sesshomaru's reputation and _supreme _influence. - Kurama could hear the giggle and smirk in her voice.

~You will explain that to me more clearly after this. ~

-Sure…*pant* …no problem…- Kagome's voice held a small smile before it faltered.

~Kagome? ~

-…- When he listened for a response he felt some one enter the link between him and Kagome. It was Hiei.

*She fainted, fox. I suggest you cease you idle hesitation with your opponent and get on with the rest.* Kurama felt annoyed at his _friend's _intrusion and hissed,

~You failed to mention that you eavesdropped on telepathic conversations, Hiei. ~

*Fox… _growl_…* Now it was the fire apparition's turn to be annoyed.

~*_chuckle*… _All right~ Kurama felt satisfied at having tested the patience of Hiei.

Going back to the fight, Kurama eyed his opponent. He decided to play the victim to lure Gama in one of his tricks. He scanned his brain for possible 'distractions'…

Then he asked,

"What is your motive for wanting to win the tournament? The shinobi have always kept their society a secret which help keep balance in demon world, why would you expose yourself in this event?" Truly, he did want to know and it would help in his plan.

Unfortunately, Gama caught up to him,

"Oh no, Kurama. I will not be answering that until I make sure that those are the last words you here!" The paint-covered demon lunged at him and prepared to kill the fox. But, Kurama will have none of that: one moment Gama was about to deliver the final blow then the next, he was bleeding all over the place.

It was Kurama's rose whip released from his hair! He looked at Gama with mild displeasure before saying,

"Surrender, Gama…"

However, the demon was stubborn and decided to try and hit Kurama. As he charged towards Kurama, his blood spewed on almost every thing leaving Kurama with dirty garments…

As Gama continued to fight, he ignored Kurama's offers on surrendering while he was evading Gama's attempts to hit him. The fox's eyes held pity and sympathy but Gama was too proud a person to admit defeat. He was an honorable shinobi after all. Kurama's body was almost covered in Gama's blood when the demon fell to the ground and spoke…

"You never asked me what how I made my make-up, Kurama...*gasp*... What made it different from the make-up of those foolish human females. The main ingredient...*pant*... was my blood, Kurama." Kurama could not help but dread the fact that he was covered in it as he looked at the marks of Gama's blood on his clothes as they glowed.

"I have given you the 'Make-up of the Seal'… *gasp* …something I should've given you …*gasp*… first. It will seal your demon energy…*gasp*… inside your body and will go on…*pant*… even if I die.

I could not…*pant*… kill you, Kurama, but I have made it…*gasp*… so that my fellow shinobi will…*pant*… accomplish that trial for me...*gasp*…Now, I die…*pant*…knowing it was not in vain…"

And Gama was dead…

Kurama was at a loss, _'Unable to use my hands and legs, I can live with but with my demon energy locked inside me, I cannot.'_

The next fighter stepped up; it was Touya, the ice master.

Kuwabara was blabbing about what was so great about him because demons seem to show their utmost support in the squirt. Hiei answered,

"Do you remember, Seiryuu? He hadn't mastered the ice as well as he thought he had. He was a demon who only finished half his training. Touya is a true master, one who saw through the completion of his training."

"What?! How is Kurama going to fight when he can't move and with his demon energy locked in?!" shouted a worried Kuwabara. Hiei replied in an irritated tone,

"How would I know, you fool." Even with Hiei's effort to hide his concern, it was visible that he sweated.

Kurama asked the same question to try and stall Touya long enough for him to figure out a way out of this mess.

"We, shinobi, have been in darkness for almost all our lives while you creatures don't even realize how lucky you are to see the clear, blue sky and the sun everyday of you lives. It was already decided that our prize will be this island and that we will expand our borders. But enough of that, you're trying to distract me. Even in your state, I'm still hesitant to come near you so I'll settle for long-distance." With that, Touya unleashed his 'Ice/icicle blades'.

Kurama was hit with Touya's attack and had injuries on various parts of his body. He tried to unleash his rose whip but it only sent a wave of pain through his brain. He resulted to running and dodging.

Kurama tried desperately to think of a way to win and then… it hit him.

He was now standing, ready to welcome Touya's next attack. Blood spilled from his wounds and he smeared it on himself as he ran again. Trying once more to release his whip, it didn't work.

Another thought struck him though. This time, Kurama didn't dodge the attacks and got himself wounded badly. Gripping his injured arm, he planted the seed of a death plant. And as Touya got fed up with waiting for his long-distance attacks to hit the fox, he charged at his opponent with his hand-turned-sword. Kurama was moving as fast as he could and prepared himself for Touya. The ice master failed to notice a certain plant coming from Kurama's wound until it was too late...

Kurama won the battle by a plant through Touya's stomach. But fell unconscious in a standing position in an instant after saying that he too is looking for a 'light' of a different kind...

(Back to the tent…)

Hiei tried to keep his full attention on the scene but it was unavoidable that he felt an immense power inside the tent with him. Hiei turned in the direction of the unconscious miko and what he saw was…

TBC…

Read and review! Sorry for the wait, people ^_^


	13. Kurama's Struggle Part2

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 13

"WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT, PEOPLE? KURAMA FELL ASLEEP WHILE STANDING! THE DETERMINATION THIS GUY IS SHOWING TO GET PUNCHED UP REAL BAD IS TOTALLY ADMIRABLE!"

Koto announced a little more before she was cut short by Bakken who removes his cloak to reveal a super muscular body. He was stepping on the ring and grabbed the neckline of Kurama's outfit lifting him off the ground and started punching.

"You're not so tough! Hahahahaha! You're just a weakling. I don't get how Gama and Touya were defeated by a shrimp like you!" he was taking advantage of Kurama's state as he threw him across the ring. Kurama winced in his sleep but did not wake up. His body was covered in wounds and blood and a death plant was coming out of his arm; you tell me if he can wake up after that.

Anyway, Koto was way against it,

"Hey, I would normally love to see this but where's the excitement when the victim is not able to show signs that he's experiencing them too? I have to protest."

"Why? He's in the ring which means he's the next fighter and he's standing see?" he held Kurama by the shirt again and lifted him up. "And the rules state that he can't be removed from the ring against his free will, right?"

There was a ring and everyone looked at the decision of the committee. It was an 'O', meaning they approve of this brutality.

"What?!" shouted Yusuke. The committee was insane!

Koto was even humiliated when the committee said that she should stop interfering and when Bakken almost threw her of the ring as well.

He went back to beating Kurama while Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted at him to stop. Hiei's attention reverted for a brief while on the scene before looking at Kagome's floating form again. The Jaganshi was still amazed at the power within this small miko. He could feel its presence fill the whole tent and was trying to get out. They all thought that she was drained of any power but obviously they were _very_ wrong.

Kagome's body glowed as it lifted itself above the bed. Her hair was flowing all around her. Her aura was so incredible it could have blown away the whole stadium and everyone in it. (A/N: Okay, maybe not the _whole _stadium and maybe not _every one _in it; but still, you never know. ^-^)

Then her eyes opened to reveal pure red orbs and her hair became longer as it reached her waist. Her blunt nails elongated into claws and she formed a couple of fangs almost instantly.

The tent shook and Ruka fell on her backside in an undignified matter,

"She's too strong, I can't hold her in!" With that, Ruka retracted the barrier and let Kagome's aura fly a little; even in her state, Kagome could still gain control over such power. Kagome stood up in thin air with her hair blowing to and fro. Keeping her energy to minimum, she glared at Bakken with her new, red eyes. She placed herself on the ground gently and walked over to Yusuke.

"What do you say to killing the damn bastard?" her voice was taunting and evilly cold. He looked at her like she was crazy but nodded anyway.

"Why not?" He put on a smirk before replacing it with a serious, ready-to-kill look. He positioned himself to fire his Spirit gun and Kagome imitated Sesshomaru's whip. But hers was purification energy and not acidic venom.

"Bakken, that's enough." Called a voice from behind said demon. It was one of the still masked shinobi. Bakken ignored him and continued to punch Kurama when he heard the readying of attacks from two people behind him. Turning around, he saw Yusuke's finger glow and Kagome's fingers form a deadly whip.

"Tsch, fine. Take the bastard, he was tiring me anyways." With that, he threw Kurama out of the ring. Kagome, caught him with a new found speed and laid him down to check for fatal injuries: as expected, there were some but not that life-threatening. Lifting Kurama with strength, she never thought to possess, she looked at Yusuke and nodded for him to continue the next fights while she took care of the fox.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. While you're off 'taking care' of fox-boy, we all get to stay behind with the jerks." He teased but Kagome just walked off to their suite to treat Kurama.

Yusuke watched as the two disappeared from sight then turned to look at Bakken menacingly. He jumped on the ring and without a word from Koto or the committee, he started the battle; planning to give Bakken the payback of a lifetime.

The crowd shouted, howled and shrieked without shame. They supported any opponent of the Urameshi team and… well, you get the idea, right? Anyway, they were disappointed because, one minute there was a fog of sweat Bakken, thinking he had the upper hand in this match but the next thing you knew; he was badly beaten and was sent flying to the wall and out of the ring by Yusuke.

"And to think I was scared that Kurama was really hurt but considering how soft your punches are, I have nothing to worry about." The spirit detective gave a small smirk in honor of his own victory as the next contestant stepped up… Jin, the Wind master.

Meanwhile, Kagome brought Kurama to their suite and laid him down gently. She fetched the first aid kit in the room and with her miko powers, she helped him heal quicker. After doing what was needed, she let her head fall on the edge of Kurama's bed. Both slept peacefully while the others were facing the oncoming battles of the day…

TBC…

Read and review ^-^


	14. Recovering and Revelations

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 14

Note: I know that I haven't emphasized it before but Kagome's mask is like what Sango uses so the hair is visible.

(Kurama's P.O.V.)

I awoke to the scent of food. It seems that I was taken to our room but by whom? I detect Kagome's scent yet it is different somewhat. Other than that, how could she be here when Ruka had her and Hiei under her control? Honestly, this woman is a mystery. I tried to stand but my injuries wouldn't let me so I settled for a sitting position. Kagome poked her head through the door and my eyes widened at her blood-red ones.

"Oh, you're finally awake. Good." She fully went into the room and I noticed that her hair was longer. She walked towards my bed and sat down beside me. She put her hand on my forehead and I assumed that it was to check if I have a fever but it seems that she is transferring her energy slowly into me.

"You know that that is unnecessary." I protested gently.

"I know but you'll heal faster with more energy. We will need you to be able to fight again soon."

"Indeed, but-"

"Speaking of which, we're in the last round of the battle. I can hear Kuwabara screaming already." She giggled at the thought of Kuwabara. And I have to admit that it was kind of ridiculous for him to do such a thing in battle but that is Kuwabara, after all. Kagome put her hand down gently and stood up.

"Not to seem rude but, what are we doing here?"

"Oh, right, well it is quite simple: me and Hiei escaped Ruka's hold; you were beaten badly by Bakken; me and Yusuke threatened him; he let you go; I took you here; Yusuke was disqualified due to a technicality; now Kuwabara is fighting and I know this because I can hear them even from way over here." Her eyes were filled with amusement as she watched my reaction.

I could only blink at the female in front of me as she enumerated the events after I passed out. The moment of silence was broken when she spoke,

"I'll get you some food now. Please try not to stand." I nodded and waited for her. My feels as if it's been run over by a tank.

I wonder what happened to Touya and the other Shinobi. Is it true that what the Shinobi sought for was light and freedom? That may be understandable since I, too, have lived in the darkness for far too long; practically, my whole life. But still it is not wise to assume that that is what all Shinobi think. After all, it is not possible for them to share the same ideals for long. Sooner or later, they will crave power and be engulfed in another type of darkness…

Much like me…Nobody knew my true intentions and I liked to keep it that way for as long as possible. I thought that having friends was nothing but a nuisance; a burden. I have held onto that thought until I met Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Koenma, Botan and now Kagome… All of them have opened my eyes and helped me to embrace my weaknesses and turn them into my greatest power. The have shown me that one does not have to carry the weight all by himself rather they share whatever burden one person carries…

"What's with the long face, Kurama?" asked Kagome as she went in the room with a tray in her hands.

"Nothing, I was just thinking…" She neared the bed and sat back down. I could see a bowl of Oden, tea, and chopsticks. It smelled delicious and if not for my self-control I would be drooling.

"If you want more, there are lots in the kitchen. Just tell me, okay?" She handed me the tray and I nodded. She remained on the bed and leaned comfortably on the headboard with her hands folded under her head. She raised one leg up on the bed and shut her eyes. She must really be tired. I started to eat and we sat there in peaceful silence. She then asked me,

"Do you want to tell me what you were thinking about when I came back?" I looked at her, surprised. And here I thought she forgot all about it. I sighed inwardly before answering,

"I was thinking about what the Shinobi said; about acquiring their share of light and freedom."

"I see. Maybe they are and maybe they're not."

"Kindly elaborate."

"Some of them, or maybe all of them, crave what they cannot have at the moment but by now, some of them have already planned on gaining power for themselves, forever. They are the kind of people who start out with an innocent goal but as time goes by, they are consumed with greed and their own darkness. So one might wonder whether they truly want light for its bright hope or they want it so that they will stay in the dark and cry out for the one thing they can't have enough of: power…

I have experienced such and it is not worth the pain you'll go through just to try and reach it… Believe me, Kurama: if you will choose the light for hope and future then remember that your friends will be right behind you… I will be behind you… but if you choose to dwell in your own thoughts forever then you'll be close to going insane but so be it… for I will not hesitate to put you out of your misery…"

"I shall keep that in mind." I smiled at her and decided to tell her more,

"What you have said is quite true and I did choose to dwell in darkness for as long as I can remember until I met all of you and… my human mother..."

"Your mother must be a wonderful person for you to mention her." Kagome was looking at me now. Her eyes showed a spark of amusement when I mentioned my mother.

"I would like to meet her sometime… Yes, I can picture it now: a 1,000 yr. old baby kitsune in the arms of a gentle human woman. *giggle*" I shook my head at her childishness. Still, it's nice to see her loosen up in my presence. I started to continue eating as Kagome's giggles died down and she looked at the ceiling.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.

"I already had 3 bowls of it. I don't think there's space for a fourth." I chuckled once more. Her company is much more enjoyable than I originally thought.

Silence passed between us until I finished eating,

"I'll take these to the kitchen and I suggest that you indulge yourself in a well-deserved sleep." She told me while taking the tray and heading to the door.

"Thank you."

She smiled and went out. I had lain down gently on the bed and it was the first time that I noticed the bandages around my body. They were neatly placed around my wounds and I wondered how she could still have so much energy after everything they've been through. She also mentioned Sesshomaru before and so did Genkai. In that case, Kagome trained under the Lord of the West no wonder she's strong.

I have been lost in my own musings for a time that I didn't notice anyone come in until I heard Yusuke's voice shout,

"Hey, Kurama, how are you doing?! You look like you went through a shredder back there!" he laughed as Botan came in with an injured Kuwabara who was grinning like an idiot and murmuring Yukina's name. Botan screeched at Yusuke,

"Why don't you help me with Kuwabara, you lazy as-!?"

"A, a, ah; no cursing, Ms. Grim reaper." snickered the spirit detective. In the corner of my eye I saw that girl, Sango, argue with Hiei while holding on to the kit, Shippo. It seems that the Jaganshi has finally met his match. *smirk* Now this is intriguing…

"Why won't you let me bandage that damned wound?!" yelled an aggravated demon slayer.

"Hn. What would you know about bandaging this type of wound, wench."

"For your information, I know how to bandage that thing not for healing-"

"Useless." Interrupted the Jaganshi. However the demon slayer continued as if he said nothing

"- but for training, you twerp."

"Hn." With that Hiei took off, probably needing sometime to think about that offer.

"He's as stubborn as Inuyasha!" commented the kit on Sango's shoulder. She only nodded in disappointment.

Botan laid Kuwabara on his bed while Yusuke plopped unceremoniously on his. Both were asleep before I could blink. Botan went on with healing them in their sleep while the taijiya applied some medicinal herbs on them. Shippo brought back some hot water for them to use. I could see Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, and surprisingly Genkai enter the room and ask how each of us were doing. After confirming that no one was near death, they gathered in another room to give us some room but they left the door open just in case. I smiled as I watched them; such a happy bunch.

I heard Kagome greet them all before coming back in to check on us. She was assaulted by Shippo and his embrace. Her eyes softened as she looked at him and Sango. Seeing as Yusuke and Kuwabara were in good hands, she turned to me with her kit in her hands. Sitting down on my bed she said,

"Seems like you didn't do what I told you."

"It was impossible with all of them going around and making a fuss."

"I see, so the great Youko Kurama can't sleep in the company of his friends without earplugs." She smirked again. Her eyes showed me everything even when her mouth is covered.

"Fine, I'll sleep." I sighed in defeat. With that I closed my eyes but I did not sleep yet. I listened to the conversation between Kagome, Sango and Botan. To tell you the truth, I was interested in what Kagome and the other two would talk about. I was a little surprised when I felt Kagome gently brush her hand against my cheek and fix a stray strand of hair...

"I see you're getting along with Kurama, eh, Kagome." Teased Sango but Kagome merely replied,

"Yes, like you are with the Jaganshi, ne, Sango. No wonder you offered to bandage his arm." I could tell by the way the taijiya spoke that she was blushing.

"I-I just said that to… uh…?" stuttered Sango.

"HA! You're cornered, aren't you?" teased Kagome.

"Oh, shut up, why don't you! Like I would have feelings for that midget? Give me a break!" protested Sango.

"Oh my, it seems that you both have some interests in the boys don't you girls? Well, I can't blame you since both boys are cute and both are free~." Came Botan's merry voice. It was silent after that; I assumed that Kagome gave them a cold stare, signaling them to shut up.

Later that afternoon, after everyone settled down, I stood up from my bed and decided to go for a walk again, after all, everyone was asleep. Kagome, however, caught me and decided that she, too, would go out for a walk.

"Have you heard anything of Karasu?" She suddenly asked, tense; despising the name as she spat it out.

"Unfortunately, no, He seems to have avoided all of Reikai's surveillance." I replied grimly.

"I see. Well, I want to show to show you something later. But for now, why don't we get a relaxing stroll while we're at it?" her suggestion was inviting but I was curious as to what she would want to show for now, I let it slide and nodded. We talked as we stolled on the shores of Kubikukuri Island… enjoying each other's company...

TBC…

Sorry for the typographical errors.

Sorry for the long wait folks but I had some difficulties coming up on what will happen next. Any way "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"

Read and review please! ^-^


	15. Secrets and Memory Loss

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 15

(Kurama's P.O.V.)

We finished our little walk on the beach when we saw the entrance to the forest. Then I remembered something,

"You wanted to show me something, Kagome?" I asked as we reached the edge of the forest. Kagome turned to face me and smiled with her eyes but walked on ahead immediately. Confused yet determined, I followed her into the trees until we reached a clearing in the deepest part of it. When Kagome stopped and turned to look at me, her eyes were sad again.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know what this is?" she asked as she lifted her hand and showed me the uncompleted Shikon. I nodded. It was purified but I could still feel it tugging at my soul…

"This is supposed to be a jewel so great that it can grant any wish. It's supposed to be a source of power and as a priestess, it's supposed to show my high status among other miko… but do you know what I see, Kurama?"

Her voice was lifeless, like the day we met and it was disturbing to say the least. I was starting to get worried.

"I see my plans go down the drain or into the dump. I see my death… I wanted to be normal, I thought I was normal but now I'm not so sure. I'm not sure if I'm even human… I never asked for this, I never wanted this… in fact; I wanted to quit and seal the well forever but I couldn't."

Kagome clenched her hand around the shard so tight that it drew blood. It didn't seem to bother her though; she didn't seem to notice it so I tried to talk to her,

"Kagome, you're bleeding." She didn't respond. I walked towards her and clasped my hand around hers and tried to gently prod her fingers open. She snapped out of her daze and opened her hand to reveal a bloodied palm and jewel. She stared at it and then looked at me.

"Sorry…"

I nodded and moved back a little. After a while her hand glowed pink and her wound healed. She spoke again,

"I want you to take this."

She handed out the jewel for me to take. I was surprised. Why would she offer me this when she clearly established the fact that it was her source if power? There must be more to it than just for safe keeping…so I asked,

"I wish to know why you will willingly give this to me." She tilted her head and answered,

"Most impressive, I must admit. Most demons will take it without question and run off. But you are not like other demons ne, Kurama?… And if you must know, I want you to take this and use this when the time comes."

"How can I use it with the knowledge that it will become corrupt and your effort to keep it otherwise will go to waste?" I can barely comprehend what this girl wants to happen...

"Use it as I do. Ask for its help, request it, and give it an option whether to refuse or accept your call. Do not wish nor demand anything from it and remember to do this for the sake of others."

I understood her meaning yet I was not sure whether or not I could follow through with it. From what I hear only the great Lord Sesshomaru was able to withstand its power.

"I do not know I do not know anymore about priestesses than I do about half-breeds…I'm sorry but I cannot accept the Shikon." I turned and started to walk away.

"You can and you will. Even if I have to force down your throat."

"No."

"Kurama... I will die…"

That statement caught me off guard and I turned my head towards her. She was removing the mask from her face and I could now see her painful smile. I growled at her words. If she is testing my patience then she will regret it...

"Do not play with m-" She interrupted me by saying,

"I will not joke about my own death, Kurama. I am giving this to you because I know you will need it more than I do…"

She placed the Shikon lightly on my hand.

"I am not the one who life is said to be endangred. Keep it." Kagome sighed. She looked me in the eye and said,

"Please, Kurama. You're the only one I can trust." Before I could protest once again she quickly whispered something in my ear. Before I knew it, I was unconscious…the last thing I saw was Kagome's retreating form…

Then I awoke to find myself in my room. I seem to have forgotten something the events I know have passed but as I tried to recall what happened that afternoon, Yusuke and the others came inside and made me lose my trail of thought.

"Keiko, I'm fine!"

"No, you're not now let me see your injuries!"

Yusuke was running around like a mouse being chased and cornered by a cat known as Keiko. Kuwabara barged in next, shouting at Hiei who was ignoring him. Sango was outside with Yukina, Genkai, Shippo and Shizuru shaking their heads and drinking tea. Kagome, I could smell, was in the kitchen but there was something amiss about her aura… and I could feel a shift of power in me… Strange...

The night was normal enough except for Kagome being almost silent during all the fuss. Her mask seemed to be on but I can recall a time when she took it off. She was usually the life of the party. When I would look at her she would either smile with her eyes or turn to Sango and pretend to laugh with them. Genkai seemed to notice as well. In fact, Genkai seemed to know what is going on with Kagome more than anyone in the room.

"Hey, Urameshi! Give me back my bread and pickle!"

The screaming voices of the boys knocked me out of thought again so I decided to let it pass… I will find out soon enough…

TBC…

Read and review, people!


	16. Team Uraotogi

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 16

(Normal P.O.V.)

The next day came and the Urameshi team is about to fight Team Uraotogi. Yusuke was no where to be seen because Genkai took him for a stroll in the woods yesterday and both haven't come back since. Kurama, Hiei, and Kagome were getting ready to fight and Kurama has been trying to question Kagome on last day's events but to no avail. She kept avoiding any conversation regarding the matter. As for Kuwabara, he's been panicking as to where Yusuke is but as usual, no one entertained his concerns. Hiei was surprisingly wearing the bandage of Sango. Kagome's mask was in tact and her kit was with Sango in the Feudal Era.

They had to return since they were worried about what Inuyasha might be doing. They were afraid that he may have escaped Kirara and Miroku and had gone after Kagome. The hanyou is a stubborn bastard. No wonder Sesshomaru despises him… Anyway, those two left that morning before all of them went to the arena. Kagome was curious as to how they managed to keep Inuyasha in check for so long but she also knew that it wasn't pretty so she passed.

Kagome looked across to the other team and saw a big blonde guy who was chewing a gum; an old man; a purpled haired guy whose hairstyle made him similar to a cockroach; another big guy who had dark skin and black hair and had very ugly attire; and, lastly, a small guy who was carrying a fishing rod. They didn't look much but everyone in her group felt otherwise. The one who resembled a cockroach seemed to be their leader: Shishiwakamaru.

"Hm. They are a very talented group but I'm sure that there is more to it than meets the eye…Especially that old man, he seems suspicious…" mused Kagome.

Hiei merely nodded as he too took notice. Kurama just stared at the other team and tried to find a way on how to play this round smart. Kuwabara could also sense the unusual energy and he realized the gravity of the situation and decided to shut up…thankfully.

Shishiwakamaru stepped on the ring, ready to negotiate the terms of how they plan to play this. All of the Urameshi stepped on the ring, too.

"Since your team is missing a member, I suggest we decide who fights who using these." He took out two dice that had a name of each fighter on each side. One die for one team.

"I don't care as long as I get to fight Yusuke's and my battles." announced the Jaganshi. Kagome shook her head but agreed and Kurama really had no objections but Kuwabara did.

"What?! Why do you get to fight his battles?! I thought I already said I would be the one to replace Urameshi if he's gone, Shrimp!" They were headed to the edge of the ring to their side for a last warm-up and the two were still arguing.

"Do you really think you can handle fighting a bunch of trained demons to the death, you moron? Besides, if I go then there will be a chance that we may actually win, idiot." Retorted the fire apparition. Kuwabara was about to say something stupid when Kurama proposed something,

"If it disturbs you Kuwabara then when it lands on Yusuke's side we decide who fights through a simple game of Jan ken." Hiei looked at Kurama questioningly.

"What is this 'Jan ken'?" Kuwabara burst out laughing about how stupid Hiei was for not knowing a simple thing such as Jan ken. Hiei did not take the insult lightly and bonked Kuwabara on the head. Hard. Kurama released a small chuckle but explained it to Hiei. Kagome, despite all the commotion behind her kept silent as she watched Shishiwakamaru's group very intently. She was just startled out of her daze when Kurama neared her,

"Is there something amiss, Kagome?"

"No… none at all. Shall we start?" she lied. Shishiwakamaru rolled the dice until it landed on Yusuke's name but seeing as he's not here, Kurama and the boys decided to play a quick game of Jan ken. And to Hiei's luck, he won. While his opponent Makintarou stepped up and started to release his weapon with pride. But after a few short seconds, he was missing an arm and was dead with Hiei's sword piercing his head…

"Hn. Pathetic" Hiei stepped off of the ring feeling unperturbed.

"Hurry up and roll the dice." Kagome giggled at Hiei's eagerness, not caring that he shot her a death glare. Shishiwakamaru rolled the dice and it landed on someone named Kuromomotaro and, to Hiei's satisfaction, his name was shown again. Swiftly jumping on the ring again he prepared for the big muscled man with the chewing gum. Hiei looked confident and was more than ready to fight this character but to his surprise, his opponent picked up his sword and sliced himself in the arm as he laughed wickedly.

Hiei merely watched as Kuromomotaro took a sphere from his belt and squished it to release a form of gas that transformed him into an ape-like creature and healed his wound.

"Now your sword attacks won't work on me! Lets see how you handle this, Jaganshi!" and with that, Kuromomotaro charged. Hiei used his speed to avoid his opponent's attacks and he tried to figure out a way to win. Seeing as the Dragon of the Darkness Flame will be of no use, thanks to his arm, he tried to find another loophole. He already tried to use his sword but it only broke. '_This is fox's specialty, not mine…'_

Kuwabara was panicking with the fear that they may loose this fight. Kagome saw his distress and walked over to him.

"Hey, Kuwabara. What wrong? You seem more fidgety than usual."

"Oh, hey there Kagome. It's nothing, really. I just got a really bad feeling about Urameshi lately. Like he's in trouble or something."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine but speaking of which I have to go somewhere."

"Are you serious?! In the middle of a fight?" asked Kuwabara. Where could she be going at this time of the day? Kagome draped her arm around Kuwabara and laughed lightly.

"Kuwabara, don't worry. I'll be back for my turn. And just in case I don't, then we have Hiei who is more than willing to cover for both me and Yusuke." She patted his chest in reassurance.

"Still… are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. I'll be back." Kagome giggled once more before she left. Kurama approached Kuwabara as Kagome disappeared.

"Kuwabara, have you seen Kagome?"

"Yeah, she just took off saying that she had to be somewhere."

"In the middle of all this?"

"That's what she said." Kurama sighed and looked on at the battle. Right now, Kuromomotaro transformed into a phoenix or something of the sort. Hiei was looking really annoyed at the moment.

_**Meanwhile…**_

Kagome walked through the woods and heard agonizing screams of a certain detective and rushed in that direction. When she arrived at a cave she flinched at the intensity of Yusuke's pain. She went inside despite the hurtful screams and immediately spotted Genkai leaning on the wall with Yusuke writhing on the ground.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked. Genkai didn't open her eyes nor moved from her position but replied,

"This dimwit is too stubborn to quit. He will most likely die soon…he was too young to have this test…I only needed a few more years to train him… a few years." Genkai clenched her hands into tight fists as she said this. Kagome walked over to her grandmother and kneeled down to her level.

"Shhh, don't worry, like you said: he's too stubborn to quit. He's not likely to change anytime soon but if it'll make you feel better I'll give him a boost." Genkai looked at her with shocked eyes.

"It will take a lot of energy, Kagome. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Only to stop you guys for worrying your head off. *giggle* Besides, I think I can handle being a little drained."

"This is no joking matter, Kagome. Are you willing to risk the victory your group worked so hard for?"

"If Yusuke is risking his life for that victory then I will be more than willing to give up all my energy. Also, what good is this detective if he'll die because of this?" Kagome walked over to Yusuke and tried to restrain his movements while she placed her hand on his heart. After a minute, her hand glowed pink and blue. She was now giving Yusuke half of what she's got but it seems that she needed to give more so she did. This action left her to 10% of her energy.

Yusuke calmed down considerably and fell asleep. Genkai looked at Kagome as if she had 7 heads. Kagome merely shrugged and stood up shakily. Loosing such amount of energy was critical for a girl her age but still she hid her fatigue well. Kagome left Yusuke in Genkai's care as she headed back to the arena. She arrived just in time to see Kurama step on to the stage along with his opponent Ura Urashima. She tended to Hiei while she kept an eye on the battle.

"Girl, I do not need your help." said Hiei as he tried to pull away from the miko's grasp. Kagome yanked his arm harder making him flinch and shot him a warning glare which silenced the Jaganshi.

"Hn"

After bandaging him completely, she turned to the fight to see Kurama trapped in a barrier and bleeding. She narrowed her eyes into slits but decided to let Kurama handle this on his own. Ura Urashima took off a box from his back and chuckled evilly as he said to Kurama,

"Meet the Idun Box! It can turn everyone that breathes its smoke into a baby, making them totally defenseless! It like stealing candy from a-! Ah well, you know what I mean!" and with that he opened the box and let its smoke seep out and even through Kurama tried his best to hold his breath but to no avail. After a while of breathing in the smoke he started to change…

_**Outside of the ring…**_

"What happened to Kurama!?" shouted Kuwabara.

"…He's back…" said Hiei as he watched with a smirk while a different energy began to form. It crackled and lashed out of the barrier. Kagome neared the energy and tried to think where she felt something similar to this before… Kuwabara stayed back in fear of being fried to a crisp.

"Who's back?" asked Kagome, not taking her eyes off of the swirling energy. Hiei replied,

"…Youko Kurama…"

"The bandit?"

"Hn."

"What are you guys talking about?! Who is this bandit?! And what the hell happened to Kurama?!" shouted a frantic Kuwabara. Kagome and Hiei ignored him and continued to watch the battle through the thick fog…

Kagome saw through the fog and watched as Ura Urashima started to feel an oncoming fear. The smoke started to clear and it revealed the Youko Kurama….

Tbc…


	17. Youko Kurama

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 17

Youko Kurama stood proudly on the ring with an emotionless face. His eyes were so cold you'd freeze if he stared at you too long. His long, silver hair swayed in the smoke and his tail lightly swished back and forth. His hands were lightly clenched at his sides as he looked at Ura Urashima with utter disdain. The bandit's enchantingly cool gaze scanned his surroundings with intense calculation until his eyes landed on a certain shocked miko.

Feeling smug, this ancient bandit decided to show off a bit. He felt a tug at his lips in attempt of a smirk but he suppressed the urge to do so and reluctantly trailed his gaze to the inferior and not to mention ugly opponent in front of him who was by now cowering in tremendous fear and regret. The fact that Ura Urashima insulted the great silver kitsune only made him want to pee in his pants even more. That is not a good thing, mind you…

The sight of this vile creature before him made Youko want to kill him on the spot but he had something else in mind. He wanted to know the secret of the Idun box. What was it that made him transform? Was it magic? Was it the product of some highly developed chemical? Or was it merely the coverage Ura Urashima used to cast some sort of spell on him with obvious immaturity?

It came to his mind that maybe if he discovered the secret of it then he can manipulate its transformations. Right now, he is 300 yrs. old, give or take a few years, but if he can alter its effect, he can go back to a time when he was at his greatest and defeat Karasu. That demon reeks of impurity and malice and he also hated the way Karasu touched Kagome. The memory of it made his blood boil.

Also, he thought it can help him counter the enchantment he _knew_ Kagome placed on him that day. Yes, he still hadn't got over that matter. And he has reason not to let it slip past him too, for he was the great, accurate, strategic, notorious and not to mention extremely handsome Youko Kurama. He turned to Ura Urashima and inwardly smirked. Oh he would enjoy this to the fullest… He was about to roll his eyes when Ura Urashima was kneeling and cowering before the sight of him, but he settled for the coldest stare he could muster.

"I-it's the n-n-n-notorious bandit!" shrieked Ura as he crawled away very fast while still on his bum.

"Indeed….." he drawled out almost lazily.

"P-p-p-p-please d-d-d-don't hurt m-m-m-me! I-I-I-I'll do anything just d-d-d-d-don't kill m-m-m-e!"

Youko ignored his irritating pleas and revealed a seed in his palm. He stretched out his arm and started to pushed his ki into it and unleashed the plant, letting it curl itself on his arm and it grew freely, showing its horrible form. The plant had very sharp _teeth_ and not to mention the acidic drool coming from its mouth. Obviously, this little red devil was very hungry and Ura Urashima looked really tasty at the moment.

"O-o-o-oh pl-please!" he cried as he backed away as far as he could from Youko.

"D-d-d-don't kill m-m-m-m-me!!!"

"I see no reason why I should, vermin. The ojiki plant around my arm is appearing to be hungry and I'm not one to deprive it of its food…."

"W-w-w-wait! I-I-I-I'll do a-a-anything!"

"You are apparently of no use…"

"U-uh, I can tell you the secret of the Idun box!" Youko almost smirked in triumph but remained impassive.

"Really……" he did a very good job of hiding his inner enjoyment.

"Y-y-y-y-yes! Th-there was --!"

A sword had pierced through Ura Urashima showing his demon form before killing him. Youko cursed _very_ lightly at his loss and looked at the owner of the blade: Shishiwakamaru and retracted the beastly plant from his arm.

_**Outside of the ring…**_

The smoke began to clear for every one to see inside. There were two demons in the ring: one who was red and ugly was dead with a sword embedded in his torso while the other was very handsome and purely silver and very much alive. Everyone gasped as it seemed none of the original fighters were to be seen.

You could hear the shouts, protests, squeals, cries and painful screams of the crowds and the voice of Koto was ringing in the stadium.

Kagome glared at Shishiwakamaru and almost growled. Damn him! How can he kill his own teammate! she thought. Hiei replied to her thought through gritted teeth,

"These demons obviously do not know the meaning of a team…"

"_Obviously…_"glowered Kagome as she continued to stare at the cockroach like leader. Shishiwakamaru smirked back at her and chuckled evilly,

"Stupid miko, these are merely tools that we use to our advantage and dispose of when they cease to be of service."

"I'll _kill _you!"

"Really now?"

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to calm down and tried to focus her on Youko who was starting to return to Kurama. She would deal with Shishiwakamaru in time but for now she needed to look after the well-being of the Urameshi team…

TBC…

Sorry if it's short. I'll try a longer one next time. Also, please forgive the errors.

Read and review! ^-^


	18. Kagome vs Shishiwakamaru

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

From here on some things will change so I hope its okay with everyone. ^-^

Chapter 18

Kagome walked over to Kurama who changed back as he got off the ring.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, a little distracted. Kurama looked at her and replied genuinely,

"Yes, I'm fine…"

Kagome clicked her tongue and looked him over thoroughly and it was obvious that he was lying. He had scratches everywhere and blood started oozing through them. Kagome growled softly and lifted her fingertips in front of Kurama and chanted. Light pink streaks came out of her hand and she waved it over Kurama. Instantly, he recovered from all of his wounds however, Kagome felt herself loose 6% of her remaining energy, after all, the technique she used required a certain amount of her spirit.

Kagome strained her body to stay upright and not sway. Kurama looked at her, astonished. Just now he felt her loose so much energy. _How is she capable of draining herself to this extent? Is she really that reckless? _Kurama thought.

He was about to tell her to go and rest when he saw her eyes. They were filled with a killing intent that he only experienced a few times before in both lives but to Kagome…it seemed as if she was used to giving this look. Kurama felt his chest tighten in concern for this fragile girl…

Kagome could care less how her own teammates were looking at her. She just really wants to pound Shishiwakamaru to the ground right now and she knows just how to do it. She simply has to alter the dice's in order to make them land on her and Shishiwakamaru's name. And alter them she did….discretely, of course.

When the die landed on her name she quickly leaped onto the ring and watched as Shishiwakamaru did the same, looking as smug as ever. She sweat-dropped when he grinned at his fans, _How he can act like this during a tournament, I will never know…_ Anyway, she looked at her opponent directly and as she was about to start the fight he called her a fake!

"How can you be the Masked Fighter when your spirit power is so close to nothing? The spirit power of the _real _Masked Fighter reached a limitless height." Turning to the committee he stated,

"They're just using the mask to hide the true identity of the fighter. They are therefore disqualified." Shishiwakamaru was really getting on her nerves. Kagome charged Shishiwakamaru without thought and considering as the jury did nothing to stop them, Kagome continued to attack fervently and Shishiwakamaru was merely dodging and blocking here and there. It even came to a point wherein they were fighting in midair and Kagome tried to land massive kicks on his smug face.

Shishiwakamaru saw an opening and took it to remove her mask. Kagome was surprised and fell, landing on her feet she stood up straight. _How dare he!?_ Kagome jumped at Shishiwakamaru and started to run towards him but he called out to the jury,

"Is this the girl that fought the last battles? Her eyes are clearly different and so is her power. It's weaker than what she gave off before… She's not the same person!" Shishiwakamaru looked at her slyly in victory. Kagome was furious and was charging at him one more time yelling,

"What do you know you bastard?! Who the hell are you to judge if I'm real or not?! You son of a-" she was cut short when Shishiwakamaru punched her in the stomach, hard. She jumped back and coughed. Shishiwakamaru took this opportunity and unsheathed his sword, the Banshee Shriek. He called forth the Chorus of a Thousand Skulls and Kagome had to ignore the painful noises and the irritating souls coming out of the damned sword.

Instead, Kagome focused her remaining energy to create a sword of pure spirit. That was after all, the only thing left for her to do…_so much for Genkai's and Sesshomaru's training…Maybe I'm really that useless…_

With that thought, she swiftly sneaked towards Shishiwakamaru who was still laughing at his oh-so magnificent 'success'. And she hit him in the side and using the hilt of her blade she dug it into his face. The guy _was_ like a cockroach since he doesn't know when to just quit and die like a sane person. They fought and exchanged blows from their swords. The crowd was panicking because those damned souls kept biting their heads off.

Kuwabara was also in panic as he tried to ward off those that came near him. Kurama and Hiei had no trouble whatsoever and both just watched intently as the battle raged on inside the ring. Koenma and George, who were in the VIP room were freaking out as a soul tried to get past the thick glass that was separating it from its meal.

Keiko and the others were being shielded by Yukina's barrier and everyone was concerned for their friend on the ring. Keiko was also worrying about where the heck Yusuke was and Puu, too. Both of them have got her worrying over every little detail. _Boys…_

_**Meanwhile in the Feudal Era…**_

"Let me go, damnit!" yelled Inuyasha as he tried to get past Kirara, the barrier between them, Sango, Miroku and all the other villagers, even Kikyo was blocking his way.

"Kikyo! Get out of my way!"

"No, Inuyasha! Let Kagome handle this on her own. This is what she has been craving for, searching for! Don't stop her from discovering her true value. You are in no position to dictate to her what she should and should not do!" retorted Kikyo. Over the past year, Kagome and Kikyo have been very civilized and even sisterly to eachother and Kikyo will do anything to stop anyone from getting Kagome's way.

"She's right Inuyasha. Kagome is happier there and she doesn't need you to tell her what to do. Haven't you noticed that Kagome's been avoiding you while she was here. She doesn't want you around anymore, Inuyasha!" Sango was just so full of frustration that she opened her big mouth and most probably, hurt Inuyasha…

"Leave me alone…" He stopped struggling and yelling and just sat in a corner…

"Me and my big mouth…" Sango didn't feel guilty but seeing the proud hanyou like this was just pitiful.

"It's not your fault Sango. He'll come around…eventually." Said Miroku.

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

"Don't worry, as long as Kagome's fine-" Kikyo was cut short when Sango stood up suddenly and ran outside the hut and grabbed Shippo who was playing by himself.

"Crap! Kagome! I need to go, guys! Bye!" and Sango was off towards the well.

"Wow…"murmured Miroku.

"'Wow' indeed…" supported Kikyo who was sipping tea.

_**Back to Kagome and the others…**_

Kagome stood on the ring while Shishiwakamaru was on the floor murmuring about how things could have gone if they met under different circumstances. He kept sputtering nonsense ever since Kagome landed the finishing blow, which was piercing his side with her sword, and it's really starting to get on her nerves. She was starting to lose it when Shishiwakamaru kept on laughing and snickering as his stupid technique ate the heads of the audience so she recklessly charged and stabbed him. Simple. And, well, that's how it worked and now Kagome was gritting through her teeth,

"Sorry, but I already like how things are turning out." And with that, she jumped off the stage but before she touched the ground, she fell asleep. Kurama caught her just in time and whispered,

"Hm…Good job, Kagome…" The girl in his arms smiled lightly in her sleep. Both of them stayed far away from the ring while Hiei and Kuwabara took over from there, after all, they deserved to get some rest after all that crap they went through in one day… They stayed in each other's warmth for the rest of the day…

TBC…

And during all this, Yusuke and Genkai were still in a cave going through his ordeal… There people, I edited this chapter and I hope your satisfied with it. Please tell me what you think. Thanks again. ^-^

Read and review please… ^-^


	19. Last Of The Semifinals

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 19

It was the Toguro's turn in the semifinals and Kurama decided that he should observe for the team's sake. He was the only one available anyway. Hiei was training his paralyzed arm, Yusuke was training with the power he received from Genkai, Kuwabara was doing whatever and Kagome just disappeared after the round. Getting back, he saw the elder Toguro as he was unusually detached from his brother. The small man had a permanent sneer on his face that made him even uglier. His long, straggly, white hair made him creepier and more suspicious even to the untrained eye of any civilian. His eyes were the worst. They held the worst kind of betrayal, mischief and one of the most feared evil you could ever imagine.

The other one was the man, Karasu, the one who makes his blood boil at the memory of their last encounter. Like before, he had long, straight hair that was as black as midnight and it made him look sly and strangely horrific. It was like his shadow covered your mind and you would only feel his suffocating presence around you. It made the hairs at the back of Kurama's neck stand up. Suppressing a growl he moved his gaze unto the biggest one of them all: Bui.

This character had plenty of armor on his body; each piece was probably more than 100 tons but he carried them all with ease. No one could see his face but everyone knew he was a mean fighting machine in battle. His axe was no doubt heavier than 5 of him combined with the armor.

After assessing each fighter, the rounds began. The opponent of the Toguro Team was Team Garinga and boy, the fight was quick. First, elder Toguro apologized for his brother's 'laziness'. Then the rounds started with Bui and Karasu facing with stupid, beyond-ugly guys (A/N: Whose names are not even worth mentioning). For Bui, it all ended when he swung his axe and sliced the brown demon in half. The intestines were showing and spilling all over the place. EW! (A/N: Can we get the clean-up crew on the ring and fast before _**I**_ throw up?!) As for Karasu, with his mysterious technique, he blew up the green, slimy guy, who used lime-colored, foul-smelling, energy-powered gas. (A/N: It's kinda gross too…Bleh!)

Anyway, as Kurama was observing the fight he suddenly felt terrible, not of the gore and blood, but because he felt something really bad was going to happen and he knew he wasn't going to like it one bit. That feeling became even stronger when he saw Karasu look at him directly. Elder Toguro faced the three remaining members of the Garinga Team at the same time and it ended when they all charged at him with their 'Combined Super Attack' or something of the sort and every one got pierced by elder Toguro's uh… outstandingly gruesome, stretchy parts of his inhuman body. Two of the opponents lived but after fooling around with them a bit, elder Toguro killed them too. After that, Koto announced that the finals will be held in two days time.

Kurama left to inform the others on what he had witnessed and was walking in the hallway, thinking that he needed Youko's strength in the finals to succeed when he felt Bui and Karasu blocking his way. Karasu spoke,

"Where's the rest of your team, Kurama? Are they so confident already? Or do they like sending you to do their dirty work?" Even with the mask on Kurama could tell that he was smirking and obviously aware of something he was not. He then heard Bui hit the wall and all of a sudden Karasu disappeared. His aura was completely gone until he reappeared behind him. Karasu's hands were very close to Kurama's throat. He could feel cold hands playing with his hair as Karasu spoke,

"Such a pity. You should take good care of your hair, Kurama. Your hair is so coarse and tangled." Kurama couldn't take it any longer and tried to hit Karasu in the face only to make contact with thin air and Karasu was back at Bui's side.

"You know, Kurama, when I like something I like to destroy it. And I like you. And your masked lady." Karasu chuckled at his own statement lightly. Kurama suppressed a growl that was fighting its way up his throat. He spoke once again,

"You should be prepared because one of you is going to die today. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to our fight." Then they left.

What did he mean that one of them was going to die today? Who could that person be? He had to go warn the others about this and he really needed to find a way to change into Youko during the finals. He had to if he wanted to come out of this one alive and successful. Kurama walked out of the stadium now and was met but Suzuka. He was the leader of Team Uraotogi and he was beaten by Kagome on the last round. Even if she unconsciously took comfort in Kurama's presence, it ended when the die rolled on her name and 'Onji' was the only fighter available on the opponents' side.

_**Flashback…**_

When the die landed on Kagome's name, she immediately woke up from her slumber as if sensing it and removed herself from Kurama and telepathically thanking him for letting her sleep for a while. She immediately ran up to meet Onji. The old man did not form the dark sphere which was the origin of Shishiwakamaru's 'Cape of no Return'. (A/N: I'm so very sorry that I forgot to mention it in the last chapter.) Shishiwakamaru used it with Kuwabara and so did Onji and they both transported him back to the old stadium. Speaking of which, Kuwabara hasn't arrived yet at this point.

"How long do you think you can fool us, _old man_?" Growled Kagome impatiently as she placed her hands at her waist in irritation.

_Did he honestly, take me for an idiot? _She thought grimly.

"Aren't you a disrespectful youth…Oh well, there's no use hiding it anymore." Onji removed the skin from his face and the rest of his make-up revealing a…deranged clown.

"I am the beautiful Suzuka!" he boasted. Kagome was weirded out by him, she thought he was gay.

"…okay…If you claim to be so _beautiful_ then why disguise as a wrinkled old man?" After Kagome asked that, Suzuka kept on blabbering about how he despised old and ugly things, yadda, yadda, yadda… Anyway, Kagome was getting bored so,

"Okay, Suzuka, that's-" Suddenly a big, colorful energy ball came straight at her and she was thought to have made contact with it.

"No one calls me by name without adding 'beautiful' before it." He was doing an evil laugh when from the other side of the ring,

"Hey, clown freak, over here!" She twirled Suzuka's clown nose in her fingers.

"How did you-? I feel so naked without my nose!" panicked the clown.

"Oh please. Kami, it's just a frick'n NOSE! Get over yourself! Geez!" cried an exasperated miko.

Outside of the ring…

Kuwabara returned inside and was panting heavily,

"What happened?" he asked. Hiei just asked him,

"What's more pathetic: beaten by an old man or beaten by a clown?"

"A clown, definitely a clown." Answered Kuwabara with no hesitation. Kurama chuckled and Hiei snickered making Kuwabara even more clueless.

"Tell us, how do you manage to be so stupid?" teased Hiei as he smirked. Kuwabara just tried to punch him senseless but failed. Kurama smiled as he turned to look at the fight again.

Back in the ring…

"You will pay for my shame!" and he attacked her with his 'Rainbow Cyclone' and he'd grown rippling muscles that tore his shirt to appear strong. Kagome merely charged at it directly and jumped over it and continued toward Suzuka punching him in the face. Then landing on her feet completely and jabbing him in the mid-section followed by an uppercut in the jaw which sent the clown straight in the air and Kagome jumped again and beat him in the air. She was basically attacking his face and breaking most of his bones.

"All of you is an illusion TO YOURSELF! Your bones are too weak and your muscles are soft and you even have the nerve about bragging about them. You're just a pathetic, idiotic, psychotic, moronic bastard of a-! That's enough." She said as she looked at him again and he wasn't even conscious anymore. His face was horrible now and all of his bones were fractured, cracked, or broken to some point. She won obviously. She didn't even have to use any spirit energy. _Weakling_.

_**End of Flashback…**_

"Ah, Kurama, just the man I wanted to see…" he greeted. Kurama saw him almost covered in bandages and he wondered why they were talking at all.

"Even though you're the enemy, I despise Toguro even more so I'll give you guys a boost. I just wanted to see him dead or defeated for once." Kurama could only nod. Suzuka held out some strange items…

TBC…

Read and review please! ^-^ Sorry for the wait and the mistakes. :D


	20. Leave to Protect

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

A/N: I'm sorry that I forgot to mention a lot of parts in the story and, even worse, I forgot to mention Puu AND my story line is all messed up! I'm so very sorry!

*bows lowly* …gomenasai…

Chapter 20

Yusuke sat under a tree with Puu at his side. Puu is his spirit beast, the one Koenma mentioned earlier about hatching. It had been feeding off of Yusuke's aura ever since the first time he died as an ordeal for him to live again. It will also reflect who and what Yusuke truly is. If Yusuke was 'bad', the spirit beast would hatch and devour him, body and soul, until there was nothing left. But if he was 'good', then when the egg hatches, the spirit beast inside would help guide him at all times. It will also show Yusuke's true emotions as it is a part of him. It hatched a while back only to reveal a cute, blue, penguin-like creature with long ears that he uses to fly and they have the same hair. Everyone laughed and teased him about it, especially Kuwabara. Anyway, both of them looked equally bushed and were equally asleep. Handling that magical orb of Genkai was a real pain. Not to mention it almost got the both of them killed.

As for Genkai, she left the spirit detective sleep there while she went off into the forest.

Yusuke was having a dream a weird dream at the moment and it seems like Puu was sharing it…

_**(Yusuke's dream…)**_

_There was a void. That was all there was at first. It was an empty, lonely and, not to mention, creepy void. There was only darkness around the detective and Puu. Yusuke grumbled,_

"_Great! First we were given a crappy 'test' by the old hag and now this!" _

"_Puuu!" replied his cute companion._

_He clenched his fists and Puu was flying near him in a nervous manner. Both of them didn't like this. It was the first time Yusuke had a dream like this and it was pissing him off big time._

_They looked around sharply as they sensed someone coming closer. After a while they felt that whoever it was, it didn't mean any harm. They still, however, remained alert and a little edgy. A few more moments passed and they could already see the figure of that someone clearly. It was Kagome. He seemed to be relieved at her appearance._

"_Oi, Kagome! Care to tell me what the hell is going on here!?" he shouted as he ran towards her with a smile just as Puu trailed behind him happily._

_Kagome merely smiled a sad smile as she watched the spirit detective come closer. Only then did Yusuke realize that she was not wearing her mask and he could see her say something unclear. He was confused but he never stopped running. Just then, Kagome gave him one last look and walked away. Yusuke tried to reach for her._

"_Hey, Kagome, wait up! What did you say?! Hey! Where the hell are you going?!" he shouted after her but the girl didn't seem to hear him._

_He suddenly felt tired and crouched down and tried to catch his breath. Suddenly, Puu shrieked and caught the detective's attention. Yusuke looked up, something he shouldn't have done. He saw the dead body of…_

_**(End of Dream...)**_

"KAGOME!" and he woke up to see the miko's face staring down at him in surprise. No mask, whatsoever.

"Yusuke, are you all right?" her voice was puzzled. She put a hand to his fore head to check his temperature only to be slapped away by an angry Yusuke. He growled before asking,

"Where's your mask?" His voice was menacing. When he saw Kagome without her mask when he woke up, there was that uneasy feeling again and it almost crushed him. He knew there was something off. His dream, he knew, was the cause of his uneasiness.

Kagome merely blinked before hitting him on the head and stood up.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" shouted Yusuke as he rubbed his head. Kagome glared at him.

"And here I was looking for you to see if you were all right only to get yelled at and slapped on my hand. How _grateful_ you are, _detective_."Sarcasm laced the voice of Kagome as she narrowed her eyes to emphasize her point.

"How the hell should I know!?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. 'Where's your mask?' Ha! As far as I know, you have no business what I wear on my face, Yusuke. Now, get off of your ass and let's go. Kuwabara's worried the crap out of himself and it was really getting on my nerves so...." She said as she picked up Puu and cradled him in her arms like she does with Shippo.

"…be thankful I even bothered to fetch you." Yusuke knew it was an outright lie but decided to avoid the wrath of the miko and followed.

They haven't even walked halfway to the hotel when Yusuke was suddenly bombarded with his previous exhaustion. He was starting to falter and then fall when Kagome grabbed his arm and draped it around her own shoulder while she held Puu in between them with her other hand. Yusuke looked at her questioningly. She just rolled her eyes and replied,

"Well, I can't have the future champ collapse here now, can I? Besides, Genkai would kill me if I let her favorite dimwit faint in a place filled with demons. Now stop your whining and let me help." Yusuke could only nod and smile a little as they continued to walk.

When they reached the hotel, Kuwabara came out of it and saw them immediately. He rushed over to help them. He took Yusuke's other arm and continued on before he stated,

"Geez Urameshi, I can't believe you're this heavy. Why are you like this and you're even being helped by a girl!" he complained.

"Kuwabara…" The orange-haired boy looked at Kagome to see her serious eyes telling him to stop. Then he looked over at the detective who was now asleep again. He got the message and shut up until they reached they're room and lay the sleeping boy down in his bed.

"What happened?" Kuwabara asked, not being able to hold that question any longer.

"He's just tired, is all. Anyway, I'm going out again. Don't let him go anywhere." She paused at the door. Not really wanting to leave, she looked at Kuwabara and said,

"Before that, where'd you get that hilt?" Kagome asked pointing at the thing on Kuwabara's waist. He looked at the thing before saying,

"Kurama gave it to me from Suzuka, remember him?"

"Yeah, the clown." She answered shaking her head.

"He gave us these weird items and I only know 'cause Kurama told me." He explained as he saw Kagome's questioning look. Then she smiled and only now did the carrot-top realize that she wasn't wearing her mask. This was the first time he saw her like this and he was truly grateful to be able to look at her with no hindrances. He was going to comment on it but she spoke before he did.

"Well, then Kuwabara, I sure hope that whatever the two of you got it'll help you in the Finals. Just remember, your true strength comes from here." She said as she placed her hand on his chest, where his heart was.

"Those weapons only help you boost them. Anyway, I'd better go." And with that, she left, not even bothering to hear his reply.

When Kagome shut the door she felt a pang in her own chest. She knew this'll be the last time she will talk to the two of them for a……a long while. She also knew that it was impossible to say goodbye to the girls and the Jaganshi or Kurama…and Shippo…Kurama and Shippo. Thinking of them only made her heart ache even worse. This is the second time, she … the second time she was close to someone which just ended miserably. First, Inuyasha and now, Kurama… She was growing tired of wasting her life on her duties to everything else but herself but she knew that it was too late to turn back now. Kagome knew that even if she _could _abandon everything now, she wouldn't. She cared too much for the outcome. Feeling her tears run down her cheek one by one…

She ran away from the door, from the hotel and from her friends so as to avoid telling them everything and ruin the whole thing for everyone. She ran back to the forest with incredible speed. When she reached the entrance to the forest, she slowed down to a walk. She continued to walk until she reached the clearing where she knew Genkai and Toguro would start their fight soon enough. She just hid where they wouldn't see her as they emerged from the shadow of the forest. _This is just great! I'll die with not even 5% of my energy. How pathetic. _She thought grimly.

Kagome watched as her grandmother and Toguro say their last few words to each other before breaking into a fight. She was out of hearing range so she didn't hear anything except silent whispers between the two. Kagome's still red eyes watched carefully as their fight commenced. Genkai told her that this would happen sooner or later but she also told Kagome not to interfere. But being who she is, she _will_ disobey her grandmother for the first time only to save her life…at the cost of her own. She _felt_ their powers collide, she _felt _her grandmother lose and hit a tree and she _felt _the moment when Toguro was going to strike the deathblow on her grandmother. That was when Kagome fired a big energy ball heading straight for Toguro's fist at an amazing speed. Toguro sensed it but he didn't have the time to dodge, it was too fast. When it collided with his fist, he was thrown aback by its power but stayed his ground.

Kagome cursed as she walked calmly out of her hiding place. Genkai looked at her like she was crazy. The old fighter yelled at her,

"I told you not to interfere!"

"You did, I merely disobeyed you." smiled the miko. Genkai was loosing consciousness as she felt the pain in her back overwhelm her whole body.

"Kagome…" Genkai saw Kagome's sad smile before falling into darkness. Kagome fixed the position of her grandmother and placed her in the sidelines and away from the fight. The young miko turned towards Toguro who was staring back at her.

"I knew that you would come just as soon as I heard Genkai had a granddaughter but I never expected you to interfere. You made me lose my interest in the fight with her, after all, who would want to fight an unconscious old woman? I didn't plan for things between us to turn out this way but I did, however, plan your death." He admitted. It was okay with her as long as he stayed clear of her grandmother.

"Fine with me." She stood up straight and put on her cold demeanor as someone stepped out of the shadows…_Karasu… _She growled._  
_

The masked man looked at her with those horrible eyes of his telling her that she will die painfully and slowly. Kagome suppressed a shiver and narrowed her eyes to slits and let her energy, both her spirit and life energy flared around her. Pink (spirit) and blue (life) swirled around her in a swift movement.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, _Kagome._" Karasu let her name drip from his mouth. Kagome merely growled as her eyes turned a darker shade of red. She cracked her knuckles before charging.

She tried to shoot a purification ball at him but he dodged with ease. When she was directly in front of him, she tried a straight punch in the face but it only scratched him and then she did a quick roundhouse kick but it only ripped his shirt open. Getting frustrated, she did a combination of kicks and punches with a few energy balls but he only dodged each and every one of them. Just as she was catching her breath and wipe her sweat off her face, Karasu chuckled,

"You are lovely with that desperate expression on your face."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Such ugly words for a beauty such as yourself."

"Such beautiful words for an ugly demon, bastard such as yourself." Replied Kagome with a smirk. Karasu ignored that comment and continued,

"It's a shame that you won't see me kill your precious fox." That caught her attention and she growled before charging again. Only for her shoulder to collide with an invisible bomb. She clenched her teeth to hold in a scream and stepped back and again her foot met with a bomb. All of a sudden, those bombs came rushing at her. She screamed as they exploded and wounded her stomach, her other shoulder, her back, her thighs, her legs, her left arm and at the base of her neck. She could hear Karasu's laughter and she could see him leave. Kagome cursed as she started to fall…

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of everyone dearest to her…

Unknown to Kagome, every time she thought of a person, that person will sense her and her approaching farewell. When she thought of Sango, the taijiya felt Kagome's energy fade which made her tell Kirara to go faster towards the island with Shippo in her arms. When Kagome thought of her kit, Shippo saw her in his mind's eye as she started to walk away, making him cry a little and desperately clinging to Kirara's fur. When she thought of those in the Feudal Era, they felt her comforting aura reduce itself to nothing, making them feel tremendously uneasy. Kagome thought of Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, Yukina and her own family, making them feel absurdly sad all of a sudden, too.

Then, she finally thought of her team: Koenma, Kuwabara, Yusuke, Hiei, hell even George. Yusuke jumped out of bed and went out the door automatically making Kuwabara follow. Koenma and George were surprised and were glued to their seats in shock. _This wasn't supposed to happen! _Thought the prince as he clenched his pacifier in his teeth. And finally…_Kurama…_ Kurama was the very first to register what was going to happen as the memories of the afternoon they spent together flooded him and he ran as fast as he could to Kagome's location. When he got there, he saw Genkai's body first and seeing that she was fine he moved his gaze to search for Kagome. He went through a couple of bushes and there she was…

Her blood greeted his nose as he stepped into the clearing. There she was, lying soaked in her own blood. She was already lifeless her eyes were closed but there was a small smile on her face. He kneeled beside her and carefully scooped her into his arms. He was nearly breaking down and he couldn't stop some tears escape his control and they fell on her cheek. She held her closer to his chest, not caring if the blood stained his clothes. He sat there cradling her body and mourning her loss...

TBC…

Read and review! I'm sorry for the errors that I didn't see but I still hope you like it!


	21. Light of Hope in the Darkness of Sorrow

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 21

"Mother?"

Shippo, Sango and Kirara arrived right before Yusuke and Hiei. The sight that greeted them was no where near pretty. A bloody Kagome was in a the arms of a very pissed off Kurama. Kagome's death as well as Karasu's scent hung thick in the air. Tear stains were still visible on his face but that was the only sign that he cried. His handsome face was contorted by a cold, ferocious look that could send most humans and lower class demons running to their mommy's or preparing their own graves. If looks could kill, the five of them would already be dead. Even if his anger wasn't directed towards them, just having those terrifying green orbs land on you, you would regret the day you were born.

The little boy got off of Kirara and was next to Kurama in an instant. The fox kit ignored the aura of the elder fox. He knew Kurama wouldn't hurt him and so he gathered up his courage and went straight to his mother figure. Tears were welling up in his eyes and try as he might, Shippo could not stop them from falling. He did not wail, he did not make a sound except for the occasional sniffs. He took Kagome's slender hand in his own and squeezed it tightly, his tears only intensified as he felt no warmth in her.

"Mother..."

Shippo was now clenching his teeth and shut his eyes as tight as he can. Sango who was also crying silently walked over to Shippo and knelt behind him and hugged the boy as she offered comfort. Sango started apologizing in a hushed tone that they couldn't get there any faster. Kirara let out a sorrowful mewl and nuzzled them both with her massive head comfortingly as she, too, let out a howl of pain.

Hiei looked away from the scene and clenched his bandaged fists inside the pockets of his black coat. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit to anybody, Kagome was one of the few friends he ever had. Sure he had the detective and, dare he think it, the buffoon, Kagome and Kurama were the only ones to ever truly understand him. And now, one of them was dead.

Yusuke already had tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt so guilty. He knew that something bad would happen to Kagome ever since that dream and yet he had the nerve to fall asleep. How could he call himself a true friend after that? He _**knew**_ Kagome was in trouble and he had the gall to sleep! Damn it, if only Kagome was alive, she would've laughed at him but the fact of the matter is, she's dead and Yusuke could see no way for her to live again. In his mourning, Yusuke punched a tree next to him and with his new strength, he broke the tree in the middle, making it fall on another tree.

Genkai's eyes fluttered open and after registering what had happened, she jumped to her feet immediately and ran towards Kagome. Her face showed her utter shock at seeing her favorite granddaughter bloodied and dead. She took Kagome in her arms and although she was a very small old lady, Genkai was able to manage her granddaughter in her arms. She did feel a slight reluctance from the fox but, nonetheless, he let her have Kagome's body.

She muttered something under her breath before going off into the deeper part of the woods. Probably to bury Kagome's body.

Hiei was off to let out his anger in his training. He knew that if he stayed any longer he would break down or break something. And that was not an option. He was ready to find Karasu and kill him emotionally but he knew that in his current state, Hiei would not stand a chance. Besides, he knew it'll be Kurama who will kill the bastard, he'll just have to settle for someone else in the Toguro team. As long as he gets to kill someone, he's fine with it.

Yusuke reluctantly left and went to the place where Kagome found him sleeping. He sat under the same tree and thought about Kagome's sudden appearance earlier that day. Could she have known that she would die? If she did then why didn't she say something? Was she so cocky that she thought she could defeat Karasu with less than 5% of her real power? How could she be so selfish!

"She wasn't being selfish, you know." said a voice as if reading his mind. It was Koenma in his teenage guise.

"What do you want? I'm not in the mood for any of your games." replied the detective. His voice sounded blank and lifeless.

"I know. Even I'm in a bad mood." Sighing, Koenma looked to the sky and continued,

"She is not selfish, she's just stupid to interfere with a fight that has been going on long before she was born. And even more so when she fought Karasu with such little amount of her strength." stated the prince as he sat on the gound next to Yusuke.

The detective wasted no time in grabbing the collar of Koenma's clothes. How dare he! Their friend just died and all he could say was how stupid she was because she interfered with someone else's battle? Whoever that someone was, they were sure lucky to have been saved by Kagome.

"Is that all you can say! That she's _**stupid**_!" roared Yusuke as he was shaking Koenma.

"Yes! She is stupid! She wasn't supposed to die! It was Genkai who should've died. This is her's and Toguro's fight! Kagome had no right to meddle in their affair. And not to mention, Genkai would've finished her duty. Now, it is most likely you are going to lose!" retorted a frustrated prince.

"Genkai?...It was her fight? I-I thought..."

"Yes. You were thinking differently weren't you?" Yusuke shook his head and stared at Koenma, still clutching his clothes tightly.

"What will happen, now that Kagome is gone?" he asked menacingly. The prince gulped slightly and answered,

"Now that Kagome's dead, you're one member short _and _you lack the certain amount of motivation to be able to beat Toguro. That girl's death made everything turn into one gigantic mess!" explained Koenma.

Sure he felt bad that Kagome is dead, in fact, he felt horrible right now, but he still had to take everybody's future into consideration. Being the prince of Reikai, he had to discard personal feelings and opinions in order to secure Ningenkai's survival and the balance among the three world's. Sure, they could always wish her back but that is _**if**_ they win against the Toguro's. Like he said earlier, nothing is certain now. They could all be as good as failures. He didn't even know what to do with the team one member short.

Yusuke dropped Koenma and left after saying,

"If that is what you think, then you've got another thing coming, pacifier-beath. We _**will**_ win and we _**will**_ get her back." with that, the detective left Koenma to rub his neck as a little spark of hope lit up inside the prince's heart..._Maybe they could win...*sigh*...It's too early to tell though..._

* * *

Kurama, who was left in the clearing, was already figuring out a way on how to defeat Karasu. He wanted to make sure that that man will die painfully by his hands. Kurama had already calmed himself a little to try and get some training done and get used to the potion Suzuka gave him...

_Flashback..._

_Suzuka handed a potion of sorts to Kurama and he explained, _

"_That is the Fruit of the Former Life, it's the fleshy part of the Tokitadare blossom that's freshly picked from Makai. For Uraurashima, it became the smoke for his Idun box. By drinking it's juice, it will revert you back into your former self with the right amount. At least I think it will. It shall take effect a few minutes after it's taken. Allow me a few more words and I'll give you a warning" Suzuka looked at Kurama who nodded._

"_This tournament is the first time this item is used along with the Trial Sword for Kuwabara. I don't know what side effects they will have on their user so take extra precautions." Kurama just looked at him skeptically before stating,_

"_So we are merely your guinea pigs." Suzuka snorted._

"_It's still up to you if you want to use them or not." Suzuka started walking away but Kurama stopped him by asking,_

"_Why are you giving these to us?" Suzuka turned to look at him,_

"_I dislike you...but I _**hate**_ Toguro. I wanted to defeat him after he made a fool out of me when I was young, using less than 3% of his power to defeat me. I went to pieces at his feet, begging him to spare my life." clenching his bandaged hand, he recalled that time when he met Toguro._

_**Flashback within a Flashback...**_

"_**I only kill true fighters in job assignments, you are neither. So run along." With that said, Toguro left a cowering Suzuka.**_

_**End of Flashback...**_

"_I started gathering all the enchanted items I could find and I even formed my own team to enter this tournament, hoping to put an end to Toguro. But after your friend defeated me, I knew there was no chance of me being able to pay him back for my humiliation. My body wasn't built for your type of fighting. But if my body can't beat him at least my items can. Show him that ingenuity and sophistication can win against brute strength." he admitted, clenching his bandaged fists tighter. And with that, Suzuka left..._

_End of Flashback..._

Hopefully, what Suzuka said was true and it will change him into Youko Kurama. It was the only way for him to stand a chance against Karasu. So far, however, he had no luck. He knew Karasu over-powered him in all aspects. Even in games of the mind. He will surely die if Karasu ever got a hold of him. But of course, that won't stop the kitsune from trying.

Kurama clutched the Shikon shard hanging around his neck. He _**will**_ avenge Kagome, even if he needs to sacrifice himself...

_Kurama...Get a grip...you're not going to die._

_I won't allow it._

_If you do, I'll kill you._

He could hear her in his head. She was laughing at him. It was like she was really here with him. He could see her face, without her mask, she was smiling. Now, he knows he's gone crazy. He's starting to imagine Kagome with him, now. Patting his back and laughing at his helplessness good-naturedly. He really did miss her. _Bad..._

And he will get her back.

* * *

Sango was walking around in the woods trying to clear her thoughts. She was still mourning her sister's death. Her eyes were a bit red from all that crying. Shippo was in a similar state but thankfully, he fell asleep and she left him in the hotel, on Kagome's bed. She felt bad for the kit, he had already lost his biological parents and now, Kagome.

Sighing, she continued walking through the trees, until she came across a familiar face... the Jaganshi.

He was practicing to call the Dragon again without injuring himself but his arm just won't let him Sango could tell that he was having a rough time with it. She was watching him ever since Kagome suggested that she teach him the binding spell for his technique. Yes, it was Kagome who told her to bug the Jaganshi until he let her teach it to him. Her musings were cut short when he noticed her presence.

"What are you staring at, ningen?" He wasn't looking in her direction but she had heard the curiosity in his voice.

"Nothing...It's just that I've been thinking about Kagome lately and I remembered what she kept telling me about you. But I still can't see what she likes about you." Hiei faced her with an arched eyebrow showing his undivided attention. He didn't know that the miko talked about him.

"You see, she was the one who told me to give you that binding spell we used to bandaged that arm of yours. Kagome only suggests such things for the benefit of her friends so I figured that she considered you a friend."

"Hn." There was a tinge of surprise in the Jaganshi's expression so he turned away..

"By the way, thank you." Not looking at the taijiya he asked,

"For what?"

"For being her friend." Sango was gone by the time Hiei lifted his head and say what a shallow and confusing thing to say. Shutting his mouth, he thought about what the girl said to him.

_...she was the one who told me to give you that binding spell..._

_...Kagome only suggests such things for the benefit of her friends ..._

His mind drifted to the times when he, Kagome and Kurama had those telepathic conversations and when he was trapped in that tent with Kagome and when she proved to be a skilled fighter. Even when she teased the orange-haired idiot. Strangely, he realized that he actually enjoyed all of that. And that's something coming from an emotionless demon like him. The corner of his lips lifted to form the smallest of smiles on the Jaganshi's face...

Noticing this, he quickly shook his head and decided to continue his training. He will not stand for any of the miko's nagging about him losing and getting himself killed. He will defeat one of the members of Toguro..._Make no mistake about that, miko..._

And train, he did.

* * *

Kuwabara wandered through the forest. He lost track of Urameshi when he was blocked by a huge crowd of demons. They just came out of nowhere and he had to beat them to be able to get through but by that time, Urameshi was gone.

Speaking of beating the demons, he had accidentally used the hilt given to him by Suzuka. It did the most awesome thing ever. He was so caught up by his own discovery that he forgot what he was previously doing. He was now set on finding Urameshi to brag about his new _power_. Riiight...

He tried sensing Urameshi's spirit energy but something had gone wrong with his abilities. They've been going on and off lately. Maybe it had something to do with his new ability or it could be that strange feeling he had.

He's been feeling so sad lately, he's creeping himself out.

"Damn it, Urameshi, where the hell are you?" he asked no one in particular.

_Kuwabara... _a familiar voice in his head said. It was Kagome. Come to think of it, he hadn't sensed her spirit energy since she left. Maybe she was training. But with his own senses going on and off, he wouldn't be surprised if he just missed it.

Finally ,he decided he'll look for Kurama, Kagome or even Hiei. Just to show them his _superior skill._

_Yep, you've definitely gone back to normal._

_Good for you._

There it was again, Kagome's voice. Shaking his head, he started to go t o the other side of the forest.

Kuwabara walked through a few trees and he came to a cliff with blue energy shooting from below. And what do you know, Urameshi was down there. Only, he was surrounded by his massive energy. The blue light encased him and it was shaped like a ball around Yusuke. Suddenly, he thought his discovery was nowhere near Urameshi's right now. He started to feel insignificant all of a sudden.

Kuwabara could see that Urameshi was serious as his energy ball expanded into an enormous one and some of it was already starting to lash out. Just watching Urameshi training like this was so unlike the punk...Wait, Urameshi...serious? Ok, this is definitely weird. Maybe something happened... Shrugging it off, he noticed that Yusuke was already looking at him questioningly, his energy went back in his body. In shock, the carrot-top slid on some rocks and fell. When he reached the bottom Yusuke commented,

"What, Kuwabara, you forgot how to walk now?" sarcasm laced his voice. The big lug jumped up and started pointing his Trial Sword at the detective.

"You can say all you want, punk, but I'm not gonna let you mess up my day!" Despite what Kuwabara said, he had temporarily forgotten what he was going to brag about and just stared for a while.

"What are you staring at?" he asked crudely. Kuwabara inwardly shook himself and replied,

"Wha?" was his oh-so intelligent reply.

"What's the matter with you? You seem to be spacing off."

"It's none of your beeswax, Urameshi. Hey, have you seen the midget or Kurama?" He asked because he wanted to change the subject. Then again, he was really curious.

Suddenly,

"Hn. Do you think it's possible for you to shut up?" Hiei came out of the shadows of the cliff. His right arm was bare and it looked like the Jaganshi was either gnawing on it or torturing it.

"What the-? What happened to your arm!" exclaimed Kuwabara. Hiei merely looked at his arm as if it was of no real importance. It looked like he burned his arm even more than it originally was. He merely said,

"It did not obey when I gave it a specific command so I decided to punish it." Kuwabara looked at him like he was crazy and asked,

"Okay, that's too weird for me." Hiei shrugged lightly and smirked.

"Why don't we stick to something safe, like, where's Kurama?" Right after he finished his question he felt a _strong_ 'kitsune aura' behind him. He visibly stiffened. He doesn't know who that power belonged to, at least, not all of it. Kuwabara jumped slightly when he heard a familiar voice behind him,

"Kuwabara, I've been standing beside you for quite some time now." And true enough, Kurama came out of the darkness with a small smile on his face. Kuwabara knew, he didn't like what his smile implied but shrugged it off.

"Okay... let me guess, Kagome is above me." Kuwabara stated jokingly. Two of their members just came out of nowhere so he expected for the last one to do the same.

His mentioning of Kagome's name turned their light mood into a very dark one. Everybody seemed to have drowned in their own thoughts at Kagome's name. Yusuke faced the ocean and listened to the wind blowing past them with a solemn expression. Hiei looked away with a blank look on his face. Kurama looked down so that his hair would cover the sadness in his eyes as he clenched his fists. Kuwabara looked at each of them and wondered what he said wrong. Yusuke broke the silence and said to the confused Kuwabara,

"Let's go back to the hotel." Everyone merely nodded and walked in uncomfortable silence towards their destination. Even Kuwabara refrained from asking anything. Apparently, no one was in a good mood lately.

* * *

The room was silent. No one felt the need to talk. Puu was depressed for the same reason as the three of them and remained quiet. Keiko was a little uncomfortable with the atmosphere. She didn't know what happened to make everyone so gloomy. Kuwabara was irritated that his friends seemed to know something he didn't. Both of them were completely clueless. Shizuru was silent because she knew Kagome was gone. The spirit energy of their friend told her that much. Botan was nowhere to be found. She was probably with Kagome in Reikai, by now.

Kurama was leaning on the wall with his eyes closed. Hiei was sitting on the window sill and looked out towards the sea. Yusuke was lounging on a chair and remained silent.

"Um…Where's Kagome? I haven't seen her since yesterday." Keiko asked nervously as she tried to relieve the tension but in fact, she only added fuel to the flame.

"She's…not feeling well…" replied Yusuke as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. The detective knew Kurama did not feel like saying anything anytime soon so he decided to make an excuse for him.

"What? How can she not feel well? It's the night of the finals!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Why are you so depressed anyways, Urameshi? Heck, even shrimpy, here is too quiet." He received no answer.

"What's wrong with everyone today!" Still, no one answered him.

"What the hell is going on with you people!" Kuwabara was fed up with the silence and wanted some answers. How can Kagome not feel well? She looked fine to him earlier. All right maybe she was a little pale but still, someone as strong as her could've gotten over any sickness by now. Besides, he can't understand what so bad about today for them to be so...creepy. All the while, when walking back here, these three had some rather black cloud hovering over them wherever they went.

"Shut up, bro. If you're so bored then why don't you sleep." snapped Shizuru as she continued to smoke. She didn't want to bring up the topic that is Kagome. Her brother would eventually know anyway.

Genkai stepped into the room and all eyes were on her. Yusuke looked at her skeptically and after receiving a nod from the old lady he went back to being silent and lounged about. Hiei also looked at her and nodded before looking out the window again. She turned to Kurama and gave him a look that said 'We need to talk. Now.' making Kurama stand straight and follow her out the door. Kuwabara looked at them as they exchanged knowing looks and went about shouting again.

"What are you guys talking about!" Keiko looked at him and said,

"No one is saying anything Kuwabara. Are you sure you aren't tired?" she looked at him innocently and he merely blushed and muttered about something they couldn't hear.

_**Outside...**_

"Kurama, did Kagome give you the jewel shard she had with her?" asked Genkai in a hushed tone. Kurama looked at her with a surprised gaze,

"How did you know?"

"Did you really think that that girl would come up with an idea like giving away the jewel on her own?" retorted the old lady. The fox narrowed his eyes at her,

"Did you know that she would die?" he asked menacingly.

"No. But I had a feeling. That's why I told her not to interfere with my fight but leave it to the girl to delay my death." Kurama looked at her questioningly.

"My death will come. How do you think that girl would know when and how I would die? She didn't see it from a crystal ball, you know." sighing Genkai continued,

"I will still fight Toguro. That girl's death was in vain. It only prolonged something that should've already been finished." looking up at the kitsune next to her, she said,

"That's why I wanted you to have the jewel, just in case she would do something stupid. But she probably planned on getting herself killed ever since I told her everything. Now, that you have the shard, I want you to keep it with you at all times. Her enemy is here and he will stop at nothing to get his hands on it." Her eyes held a kind of seriousness that made you want to cower. But of course, he did no such thing.

"Who is this enemy?" he asked instead.

"That, I do not know. You'll have to figure it out on your own. When that jewel is whole, it can grant any wish. If it's a selfish wish, it will be consumed with evil and taint everything it touches; if it's a pure one, then it will disappear and your wish will be granted."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to be prepared when the time comes. And that's if you need to use it. Now then, I shall take my leave. Tell Yusuke, nothing of this. He shall know what he should from Koenma. I've already informed him." Genkai closed her eyes before straightening up and walking away.

"Oh, and don't worry about your replacement. Kagome surprisingly took care of it already." She waved her hand before she sought out Toguro. Kurama wanted to stop her but he also knew that it was of no use. He will not interfere and will merely watch as things will unfold on their own and then he will set his plans in motion...

_**Somewhere in the Hotel...**_

A group of people, known as the leaders of the Black Market called the Black Black Club, were talking about Sakyo's fortune when one of them spoke up,

"Come on, don't crowd the man. Sakyo, why don't you tell us what your planning." He encouraged. They are a group of people who enjoy gambling with everything they get their hands on, even lives of others. They are also the ones who do the most despicable things humans are capable of just for he thrill of it. They broke every single law that there is to break. They aren't caught because they kill anyone that gets in their way using the demons they have captured. They gamble with everything the can get their dirty hands on. In short, they're a despicble bunch.

"I plan to create a portal between the Human World and the Demon World." Sakyo stated simply.

"What?"

"Come, come, now gentlemen. Use your imagination. The demons that cross into our world are merely weak and small and in numbers that are enough for the spirit detective and his friends to dispatch. Why do you think only these demons are able to pass into our world? Cost. To produce a portal between our worlds the size of a fist, costs a million. That's why only small and crafty demons are able to pass into our world. I plan to produce one that is big enough so that every demon, regardless of their strength or size, will be able to pass through. Imagine a world where demons and humans alike co-exist. I did have to get rid of a few pests. Tarukane was easy enough. Then again, I also did kill Butagiri." the others were already creating a fuss after hearing Sakyo's idea. They were also unnerved by the fact that Sakyo had killed their fellow members.

"Are you mad!" exclaimed that same person. Sakyo merely smirked and it ticked all of the people in the room.

"If you're still placing bets, I'll still collect." he teased.

"Sakyo, you bastard!" that person went over to the wall and pressed a button. It opened a wall to reveal a bunch of demons that attacked at his command. Sakyo merely sat there as if he didn't care or nothing was happening. One minute, the demons were charging towards him then the next, the were all pierced and killed. Even the ones from the Black Black Club. Blood was scattered everywhere, on the walls, the ceiling and even on Sakyo's face. He merely wiped it off with his handkerchief before throwing the piece of clothe over one of them. Turning to the one who killed most of the room's inhabitants, he said,

"What do you think about my plan?"

"Very interesting indeed. But I have things to settle first."

"Yes. I believe you mentioned the Shikon no Tama." Chuckling, the figure replied,

"That talk is for another time, Sakyo. But I do have to ask, did everything go as planned?" asked a figure wrapped in baboon pelt. Sakyo, who was sitting in his chair with his head resting on his hands replied,

"Yes. However, Genkai did not die as planned. Her granddaughter interfered earlier than expected."

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. If this Genkai is anything like that miko then she will come to Toguro and she will still die." predicted the man in the pelt.

"I do hope so. I take it you still remember our deal." Sakyo sat back in his chair and extended his hand out to the man in front of him. The one in the pelt chuckled as he handed out a piece of the Shikon jewel.

"Hm. I'm still surprised that you manage to kill the miko."

"It was hard finding one that could kill her but she brought her death unto herself. If she didn't drain her power then she would've stood a chance against three demons of Karasu's level. Such a pity. We could've used her." said Sakyo thoughtfully.

"Indeed. That was why I wanted her dead. If she died then it would be easier to obtain the rest of the Shikon. Now, all we need is to defeat the rest of that bothersome team and find the rest of that jewel." replied the man offhandedly.

"I'll let the Toguro team handle that. However, we are still one member short." Sakyo looked pointedly at the man.

"And you want me to take the fifth place of this team?"

"Yes."

"Hn." In a blink of an eye, the man in baboon pelt was gone.

Sakyo closed his eyes calmly.

"I'll take it that you agree then...Naraku."

_**With Genkai...**_

True to her word, Genkai sought out Toguro and she found him in a clearing deep in the forest. Walking up to him, she made her presence known.

"Toguro."

"Genkai. I thought you would come. No doubt to avenge your granddaughter."

"Why I am here is none of your concern. You only need to know that one of us shall die tonight."

"Oh? Now who could that be?"

"Why don't we find out!" Gritting her teeth, Genkai lunged at him and their fight started once again.

Flipping into the air, Genkai fired a shot aimed for her opponent's head. Toguro stopped it with a punch and it dispersed immediately. He removed his coat as he let his muscles grow, using 10% of his power. He tried to land a punch on the old psychic but she was surprisingly quicker than she was earlier that day. She had evaded his shots and kicked him in the chest.

Feeling nothing but a slight tickle, Toguro took this opportunity and grabbed her leg. He swung her body into a tree and dashed towards her only to throw her in the air. He stretched out his arm and impaled her body on his fist through her stomach.

Genkai's eyes widened as she coughed up her blood. Her vision started to blur but she managed to remove herself from Toguro and she glared at him. She only had one more shot and it was pretty weak but she gathered all the energy left in her and let it fly towards Toguro anyway. It left her dry and tired. But she was able to see Toguro stop her attack and was now running towards her, his fist ready to end their battle.

Toguro met her attack with another one of his powerful punches, making it stop before dispersing like the first one. He ran towards the psychic he landed the last blow in their 50-year battle.

Closing her eyes, Genkai let herself be consumed by the darkness. And Toguro looked at her lifeless body before he picked up his coat and he, too, went away.

* * *

Yusuke, Shizuru, Hiei, Kurama and Koenma felt Genkai's presence disappear. Yusuke rushed out of the hotel and to the place where his teacher was. Kurama and Hiei only looked at each other and bowed their heads. Shizuru felt a lone tear escape her control and Keiko looked at her worriedly,

"Shizuru? Are you all right?" Shizuru only smiled a fake smile and said,

"Oh it's nothing. Just something in my eye." Wiping away that tear, she thanked the Kami's that her brother was asleep already. If he wasn't, then there was hell to pay.

* * *

Koenma found a mourning Yusuke in the same clearing Genkai and Toguro fought. Genkai's body was taken by Botan a few hours ago but the detective refused to leave the spot. Sighing, the teenage Koenma neared Yusuke.

"What do you want now, Koenma?" his voice held a huge amount of despair. The crestfallen boy did not look at the prince as he stated,

"I don't see why you're still like this even after I told you she was supposed to die. But, then again, I didn't really expect for her to die so soon either." Yusuke was so pissed off that he stood and grabbed Koenma's collar for the second time that day. Shouting in the prince's face, he said,

"Are you really that heartless, pacifier-breath! Kagome and Genkai died in one day and you're asking me why would I still be like this! I thought you said 'she was _supposed_ to die', not she would die!" Koenma replied in a calm tone,

"How did Genkai pick such a moron apprentice?"

"Who're you calling 'moron', pacifier-junkie!"

"Yusuke, think about it. Kagome's death had gone to waste because she believed that she could save her grandmother from facing the challenge of her life but, being just a teenage girl, she had failed. Genkai wanted to end her fight with Toguro. They changed from friends to teammates to bitter enemies. Both were like opposing magnets in a crash course. Genkai came here knowing she would die and Toguro came here knowing he would kill her. How could you, or even Kagome, whose mothers weren't even born when this dispute began interfere in a 50-year old battle?" Yusuke was trying to stop crying again but he failed. Tears streamed down his face and he gritted his teeth.

"So are you gonna let me go or are we gonna stand here and do the Tango?" Yusuke let him go and faced a tree, trying to hide his tears.

"Why did you go?" he referred to the two people who had looked out for him and became two of his true friends. Yusuke tried to process the information that was shoved down his throat. He couldn't understand why these things had to happen. Two of the closest people he had ever known had just been snatched away from him and he was too weak to stop any of this. He wasn't even there in their last moments.

"Genkai and Kagome also left you a message." Looking back at Koenma with eager eyes, he asked,

"What did they say?"

"They said that you should get over yourself and that they wanted you to live for a very long time so they could have some peace and quiet. In short, 'Dimwit, go in that battle.'. Sounds just like them, doesn't it?" Koenma's gaze softened a little.

"Yeah, it does." Yusuke was already sniffling. Wiping away a few tears, he did a couple of flips in the air and landed in the middle of the clearing. He positioned himself to fire a shot. His finger glowed as it gathered a huge amount of energy and he finally fired, leaving him lying on the ground, gazing at his shot.

Kurama, Hiei and a few others saw his shot and, for some reason, they felt a tinge of hope that everything will end well. Puu was cheerful again and started clapping his long ears together. He was making his usual noises now and it was enough for Keiko to be a little relieved as well.

"Do you think it reached them?" asked the detective as he lay there. Koenma was still looking up and smiled to himself.

"I'm sure it did, Yusuke. I'm sure it did." Rolling to his side, Yusuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Good."

"Oh, and Yusuke, Kagome left this on my desk and she wanted me to give it to Kurama but since I have my work cut out for me, I want you to deliver this." Koenma handed out a piece of paper to Yusuke. Standing up, the detective looked at it and asked,

"Did she say anything else?"

"Yes, she said that if anyone else read this, she would kill whoever was responsible in the most painful way possible. In short, 'Read this and you die.'." Yusuke smiled. Kagome is really scary, even in death...

_**In the Feudal Era...**_

Sango was clutching Shippo and was sitting silently on the floor. When they returned here in such low spirits and with some tears in their eyes, everyone's fears were just confirmed. No one really said anything but they all knew it. Their precious friend was dead...

Inuyasha ran off somewhere in the forest with a speed he rarely used. He had to get away from them. He could smell Kagome's death on Shippo since he did hold Kagome's hand. Her scent lingered on both Sango and Shippo and it only made things worse for him.

Miroku clutched his staff tightly and prayed for Kagome's soul. He remained silent as he mourned her death. She was his precious friend and one of the most important people to him. Then again, she always was someone's special someone. It was impossible for you to meet her without becoming her friend.

Kikyo, who once wished for her reincarnation's demise long ago, was now in tears. Even with her clay body, she could not help the sorrow that overcame her. She thought it was a feeling that was long forgotten by now. But she was wrong. She had friends and no longer wandered alone. Kagome was the first to accept her into the group as a trustworthy ally. Inuyasha was with her, yes, but he saw her more than a friend so it didn't count. She was welcomed into their group because of Kagome and she became an ally to all of them. She didn't even feel the rest of her soul come back to her but then again, she didn't want it anymore.

Kaede and everyone in the village were heart broken. Heck, Sesshomaru even went there to confirm the miko's demise. He had not brought his usual companions probably because he didn't want the little girl to be in the same state as the Inu gang. When he did confirm his suspicion, his face remained impassive but his eyes flashed with sadness. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared but it was there. Sesshomaru had treated the miko like one of his pack and he had trained her and treated her with respect. Having nothing more to do there, he disappeared. He would not tell Rin, yet.

For now though, he needed to go somewhere...

* * *

Kagura, who was hovering above the group, observed and figured out everything. The miko wench was dead. Naraku would like this. But she had no intention of telling him, after all, she did hate him. She went back to where Naraku's hiding place was only to find that the hanyou was nowhere in sight. It has been like this since that miko started to stay in the future more often. Naraku disappeared on the day that the demon slayer and the kit started traveling in the Modern Era. That was another thing; Kagura didn't tell Naraku about this time-traveling of theirs but he probably knew about it anyway.

Sighing, she sought out Kanna and Kohaku, the three of them have spent more time together these past few weeks. Kanna and Kagura had taken pity on the boy and decided that they will free him, too. That is _if_ they ever found a way out of that despicable hanyou's grasp...

_**Back in the Modern Era...**_

Sesshomaru got off of his cloud and landed in front of Kubikukuri Hotel. He had traveled through time using the Bone Eater's Well just as Kagome had shown him before. Yes, she already let him know about her time-traveling business. Sesshomaru was quite successful in accomplishing this task, after all, if a hanyou and a slip of a miko could do it, why not him? He masked his scent and aura as he started to stride inside, there, he found Reikai's prince sitting on one of the chairs waiting for someone. Seeing the Taiyoukai, he stood up and bowed. Nodding in acknowledgment, he stated,

"I believe you are Koenma." his cold tone was still in place as was his emotionless stare. Seeming a little surprised, the prince looked at the Demon lord,

"Yes. Kagome merely told me to wait for someone important but she forgot to mention it was you, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Hn. I am here because she informed me that if anything should happen to her while she was here, I was to take her place."

"So that girl really planned on getting herself killed?"

"Perhaps." Sesshomaru's face remained blank but his eyes became a little soft at the mention of Kagome's name.

"Very well then. I shall explain everything..." Koenma explained what was to take place that morning and informed the Taiyoukai what was happening with everything else.

Sesshomaru was told by Kagome what she had thought would eventually happen; that she would die etc. She said that if she was ever killed while she was there, her dying request was for him to take her place, for the sake of the group. It was kind of out-of-the-blue but she made sure he agreed to it. They had talked right before she left for Hanging Neck Island. He was reluctant to accept such a ridiculous request but, with Kagome, he had to agree. She was one of his pack after all...

TBC...

Read and review pls. Sorry for any errors. This chapter is very long to make up for the wait so I hope you guys like it. ^-^


	22. Let the Finals Begin!

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 22

"Yo, Kurama."

Yusuke was looking for the fox and he found him on cliff looking calmly at the sea. It was already dawn and Yusuke was sure, both of them didn't get any sleep. Not that it really mattered anyway. He carried the letter Koenma gave to him. He wanted to know what Kagome wrote but he knew not to take her threat lightly so he'll just play delivery-boy for now.

"Yusuke, what brings you here?" Kurama turned to look at him

"Kagome left a letter for you. I decided to play along." Yusuke handed out the paper and Kurama took it with slightly widened eyes.

"..." Opening the parchment, Kurama started reading...

_Kurama,_

_If you're reading this then I probably died. Anyway, I'll just get straight to the point; I know you want to kill Karasu, even if it means getting yourself killed. I want you to get a grip because you are not going to die. I won't allow it. You got that, Kurama? I'm sure you'll survive this because if you die, I'll kill you._

_I want you to know that I didn't do this just for Genkai but it was also for the sake of my duty as the Shikon no Tama's guardian. I knew Naraku was here. He's after the Shikon and my life. He succeeded in taking my life but he does not know that I gave the Shikon to you. You'll be able to keep it safe in my absence. If worst comes to worst then you're in big trouble. I will personally see to it._

_But...I know you guys'll win. I did die for this and I won't like if I see you in Reikai anytime soon. And I want you to think things through before acting; you shouldn't have any problem with that. You are one of the smartest people I know and you are also one of those special to me. I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye to you but I couldn't afford you stopping me._

_Remember the time when I gave you the Shikon? Well, try to remember what I said to you before you became unconscious. That should boost your spirit. Although I should warn you...it'll probably be out of my character..._

_Tell the others that I don't want them to be so gloomy and cheer them up for me. Genkai is with me so I'll be fine._

_Thanks for everything,_

_Kagome_

_P.S. Good luck!_

Kurama looked at the message again before pocketing it. She had spoken some of the words in the letter to him when he was considering his own death and it made him happy, somewhat. He looked at Yusuke who gave him a questioning look. Smiling, Kurama looked back at the sea and the now rising sun as he answered the detective's unspoken question,

"She says that we should win or it's our necks." he stated jokingly. He heard Yusuke snorted,

"Doesn't she get tired of threatening us all the time?"

"Apparently not." Yusuke smiled genuinely and then smirked broadly,

"Well of course, we'll win! And when we do I'll march straight to Reikai and rub it in her face! Hah! She'll regret the day she got herself killed." boasted Yusuke. Oh yes, he'll make sure that she'll regret dying on them.

"I see. Well then, should we get going? The finals are supposed to start in a few hours." Turning in the direction of the hotel to wake everyone else up. Yusuke walked right behind him with a determined grin on his face. Oh, yes, Kagome will be rolling in her grave in jealousy after this...

* * *

Kagome threw the useless book towards the wall and growled in annoyance. That had been the tenth attempt in finding out how to get rid of the jewel for good. Naraku was such a pest and she was more than willing to squash him to bits but he's not really their main problem. Kagome twirled in exhaustion and collapsed on the side of the wall,

"Wonder how the others are doing..." Running a hand through her thick locks, she used her other hand to touch the mask that was once again on her face. Her mind drifted to the day she first showed Kurama her whole face. Kagome wasn't sure but every time she thought of that fox she would get those legendary butterflies in her stomach. Sighing she thought about Shippo and Sango... She missed them all so much. She still couldn't get over the fact that she let herself get killed in an attempt to sidetrack the Toguro team as well as that bastard hanyou.

Kagome closed her eyes as she remembered her little plan... She had to beg the great demon lord for his cooperation and then she had to sow said demon lord how to travel through time and then she had to orient him on how things go in her world. And then there was this whole team thing that she only agreed to because she wanted to trace Naraku and find out what he's up to. What she didn't expect was to meet a–okay, let's face it, 'drop-dead-gorgeous' kitsune...

The large doors of the Reikai library opened and a gigantic figure stepped in. Kagome's eyes looked at the person but did not speak nor move from her position. She knew who it was,

"King Enma," she did not rise, bow nor nod her head in acknowledgment. Surprisingly, the giant of a king did not seem to mind. After all, he knew why Kagome's like this. All in one day she managed to lose everything…_again…_ He watched through his spectacles as the girl sighed deeply before crouching as if giving up on this ridiculous search to get rid of the pink gem. Deciding to try and comfort the young girl, Enma walked over to her silently regardless of his size and said in a gentle and comforting voice,

"Kagome, you should understand that you do not have to carry the weight of the jewel on your own. The Sesshomaru in present Makai has come to me earlier and requested – in his own words – for me to help restore you to that carefree and spirited girl he once knew. I agreed because it seems as though you are in dire need of it." Kagome sighed again,

"King Enma, perhaps you know Sesshomaru better than that. He will not admit, even to himself, that I or my well-being matters to him. He has indeed been a tremendous friend to me but things are different and I can sense that there are more demons much more powerful than Toguro will come after the jewel and I am afraid to lose what little of my life is left – in short – I don't feel comfortable with putting all my friends and family at a very dangerous risk. Therefore I cannot become that naïve girl you all 'once knew'."

"Perhaps, but child, I did not put you in my son's care for this. I put you in their team for a reason that you have yet to understand. You forget that you are merely a child of 18 and are in no condition to face the Shikon's perils alone. You have died already and have put those who care about you in a state of sadness that they can hardly bare. I may be king of Reikai but I cannot keep bringing people back to life only to have themselves killed very shortly after."

Kagome sighed and remained quiet as she pondered more on the matter. She really didn't want to do this to her new crew but she had no choice. Kagome always hated herself for being so selfless sometimes... Not only that, but she left the jewel with Kurama. He might be in big trouble if Naraku finds out about it.

Yes. It's settled! She'll prepare a short trip to Ningenkai and see how everyone's doing…

* * *

Sesshomaru trudged through the eerie looking hallways and noted that it was tainted with that bastard hanyou's smell. He almost growled at the thought that he dared to use his useless pawns to kill his pack member. Sesshomaru vowed that he would return the favor and kill one of their own but he also doubted that he'll receive any pleasure in killing a weak B-class demon. The Daiyoukai arrived in front of a door and he could clearly smell Kagome's team inside. She had given him a sample of their scent right before she left on their last meeting.

They were already getting ready to go to the arena but he had to confirm just one thing...

He entered without knocking and was not fazed at all by the tense aura that seemed to radiate off of everyone in the room except for him. A black, greasy-haired boy shouted at him and stepped into a fighting stance,

"Who the hell are you?" Sesshomaru was immediately reminded of his half-witted, half-brother. Mentally shaking his head, he replied in a monotonous voice,

"You will do well to watch your tongue, human, lest I detach it from your mouth. I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands and I am here as a favor to Kagome. Be thankful that she deemed you worthy of my time." Hiei nodded his head in acknowledgement and returned to securing his arm in place. Kurama bowed respectfully to him and said,

"We are most gracious to acquire the generosity of Kagome and yourself. We will be heading to the arena in a matter of minutes." Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow ever so slightly at this fox's behavior. He seems to be the only who was taught proper protocol and he was indeed pleased that it was this one that gained his miko's attention and not their so-called 'leader'. Sesshomaru heard the black-haired boy grunt something inaudible an uninteresting before he turned back to his warm-up exercise. Kuwabara walked up to him and the youkai lord eyed the ningen that was only a foot shorter than himself, approaching him with confused eyes,

"Whaddya mean 'as a favor to Kagome'? Isn't she just sick or something?" Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow and merely ignored the buffoon as he leaned gracefully on the wall near the door frame. He was a little taken aback when they did not question him any further but somehow, he had preferred not to reply anyways.

Just as promised, after a few minutes, the team had vacated the suite and walked silently to the arena where there last battle would take place. They couldn't believe that this was already the Finals and Kagome wasn't with them. Yusuke made a silent vow to himself the moment they entered, he would definitely kill those who killed his friends. Hiei was inwardly planning their deaths one by one...Kuwabara was wondering whether or not Kagome will come or not but he certainly hoped so. He obviously didn't seem to like the tall Daiyoukai any where near him nor near his cats... Kurama was utterly trying to make peace with everything and he tried to convince himself that this battle _**will **_besuccessful. Sesshomaru was hoping that his trip here was worth the watch, after all, he won't be allowed to battle today...Kagome had forbade him to do anything unless her team was in serious shi- trouble. Can you imagine: a great demon lord being ordered by a little miko? That's just hilarious!

Mentally cursing himself for accepting her invitation, Sesshomaru took a graceful seat on a boulder far enough from the ring but just right for observation. He was in no mood to fight anyways. He tried desperately control his features to keep himself from cringing at the horrible screams, shrieks and roars of the demon crowd.

It only grew worse when the Toguro team emerged from their side along with a _very _familiar yet unfamiliar person...wrapped in a baboon pelt. Sesshomaru narrowed his golden eyes dangerously at the sight of that filthy hanyou. A growl almost escaped his waning control. _This _is the creature who indirectly murdered his pack member...Yusuke flared his energy as a challenge to the Toguro team. He may not know who the other fifth member is but Toguro was his and he will make sure to beat the crap out of this inhumane creature that had killed his teacher. Kurama nearly snarled at seeing the one that had murdered Kagome. He also heard Hiei growl low in his throat.

Kuwabara was clueless as to why they were all acting so apprehensive and scary. He didn't like this atmosphere and so he tried to alleviate the tension by making a joke,

"Hehehe, Kagome sure is like an old lady. Does it take forever to get out of bed?" But instead of acquiring the desired affect, his joke backfired and the atmosphere only became even darker..._ooh scary..._

Kurama shoved his attention away to avoid remembering Kagome for now. He noticed that the Toguro team already came forward. Their aura seemed to halt every thought, movement, noise in the area for a moment before all hell broke loose again with the screaming, screeching and howling of the different apparitions. Toguro had his shades on as well as his green coat…and not to mention his deranged older brother on his back looking entirely gruesome and hostile. The biggest one is Bui with his heavy armor to boot. But the one person Kurama could not take his eyes off was Karasu. The person…no demon who killed Kagome, the person who was responsible for all the sad faces of most of their team, the reason why he could never see Kagome's smile again. Kurama's eyes narrowed and turned colder that ice as he stared at the hateful team they were about to face.

"ALL RIGHT, YOU BLOOD THIRSTY DEMONS! THE FINALS WILL NOW BEGIN! THIS WILL BE A ONE-ON-ONE MATCH BETWEEN EACH TEAM MEMBE-! EH! IT SEEMS LIKE THE UARAMESHI TEAM HAS A NEW MEMBER!" The announcer looked at the silver-haired inu lord before continuing,

"THIS DEMON IS DEFINITELY NOT THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL WE SAW BEFORE!THEREFORE, THEY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED BECAUSE THE RULES SAY THAT YOU CAN ONLY HAVE A NEW MEMBER IF THE FORMER ONE IS DEAD! UNLESS THE URAMESHI TEAM CAN GIVE A _VALID_ REASON AS TO WHY THEIR TEAM IS MISSING A MEMBER, THEIR PARTICIPATION WILL BE FORFEIT-!"

"Their changing of members is qualified as declared by the committee and this event shall proceed as planned." Cut Sakyo. He walked towards the Toguro Team with his trademark cigarette in his hands. He looked calm and composed as usual and smiled 'kindly' at the Urameshi Team.

The referee looked between the two teams and figured that if Sakyo-sama said it was all right, then it was all right, right? Clearing her throat, she enthusiastically announced,

"LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"

* * *

Sango stood up almost unsteadily with a silent Shippo in her arms. Going out of the hut, they were a little disappointed that no one in the room—mainly Kikyo and Miroku—stood up to follow them but guessing that they were lost in their own thoughts they let them be. They were going back to that island and find the one who killed their friend. Inuyasha, who was sitting so high up in Goshinboku, saw them and jumped down. He gave them a questioning look and Sango replied in a whisper,

"We're going back." It was unusual and surprising to have the hanyou understand something so vague but in this case, he didn't need an explanation. Inuyasha smirked and hurriedly went into the hut to retrieve Kikyo and Miroku. Sango and Shippo looked at them inquiringly. The three just smiled and Miroku spoke,

"We're coming with you." Sango felt her heart swell with gratitude as well as Shippo tightening hold on her clothes. They were all going to get back at the people who dare harmed Kagome and they will defeat them for her sake. They headed to the well…together…

Just like how Kagome would want them to be…

* * *

Kurama eyed his opponent seriously, never averting his deadly gaze. It turns out that Karasu wanted to go first and stepped up. Good thing Kurama took the potion a few minutes earlier. He had tested it on some plants before using it and discovered that it took a while for the potion to take effect. He only needed some more time to activate it.

Karasu smirked behind his mask and said,

"My, my, aren't you in a foul mood today, Kurama. I hope it doesn't have anything to do with our encounter yesterday." Kurama clenched his fist and prevented a growl from escaping him. He has to be calm at times like this. He cannot afford to make mistakes this time around. He would make sure that Karasu will regret ever laying his hands on Kagome.

TBC…

I would like to say 'thank you' to all of those who took the time to review. This is a bit short but please bear with me. I'm still working on their fighting scenes and such and I probably won't have enough time to update since our exams are near. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please as always, forgive my errors. Thank you! ^-^


	23. Silver vs Peroxide

Alternate Tournament

Note: During Kagome's stay in Reikai she didn't wear her mask anymore...Doesn't need it yet anyway...

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 23

Kagome and Genkai waited in a room with King Enma to wait for a very special guest. It seems that right after Kagome announced that she'll go back to her group in Kubikukuri Island, King Enma told her to first meet an old friend that's waited so long to see her. She was quite surprised but since she had a hunch on who it was, she agreed. The team won't need her this soon anyway. As for Genkai, well, she just wanted something to pass the time while she was here.

"Here, he comes." at the King's words, Kagome and Genkai's heads turned to look at the door. It opened a moment later and a tall, silver-haired, demon came in. Kagome's eyes widened and a smile formed on her face as she stood up to greet her friend. Walking to the opened door and standing in front of the man, she whispered,

"Sesshomaru..." Stepping into the light, the demon lord gave her an almost unnoticeable smile,

"Miko, it has been awhile..." Kagome nodded eagerly and wrapped her arms around him. She knew it was the present Sesshomaru in Makai but still, Sesshomaru is Sesshomaru. Said person was a little taken aback and was about to push her off instinctively. After all these years, he still had hard time showing his emotions but he decided that his friend deserved this hug and he was going to give in to her for a while. _This Sesshomaru is getting too soft around these human females as of late..._Pulling away, Kagome smiled as she led him inside to meet her grandmother.

"Sesshomaru, this is Genkai, my grandmother and the mentor of Yusuke. Obaa-chan, this is Sesshomaru, Lord of the West." Genkai nodded her head in acknowledgement. When they all sat down, Kagome asked,

"Why are you here, anyway, Sesshomaru? I thought you had a busy time in demon world right now."

"Indeed I do. However, King Enma had requested my presence here today. It seems that something is amiss in the Human World and _you _are involved." His tone was cold as usual but Kagome knew that he was curious and worried about her. The thought made her smile before replying,

"Hehe, about that. Well, you see Naraku was there and I had to give the Jewel to Kurama and get myself killed in order to distract them and to attempt to prevent my grandmother's death but _obviously _the latter didn't work." Kagome shot the old psychic a glare before going back to her story,

"Now, I plan to go back and give them a boost or two. When they win, they will be able to wish for anything they want. Probably to bring one of us back to life. If so then I want that one to be Genkai. As for me, well whether I like it or not my obligation forces me to go back there and keep collecting the shards and defeat Naraku. Though I suppose you already know that since I did ask your past self to fill in for me for a while. Any way, that's about it."

Sesshomaru listened carefully to her words and when she finished, he couldn't help but smirk,

"That was interesting, to say the least but that is not the reason why am here, miko. I'm here to explain your current form." Kagome looked at him in a confused manner,

"What the-? So you mean to tell me that I just spilled my guts to you for nothing?"

Sesshomaru bit back a growl at her raised voice when Genkai spoke,

"Kagome, you have no one to blame but yourself for that. Now, why don't you listen to what he has to say. You might just be able to find a way out of your own mess."

"But-"

Kagome's eyes widened in shock—never would she have thought that her grandmother would be siding with Sesshomaru.

"Just sit down." With a frown, the miko obeyed the psychic.

"Fine, humph!" Sesshomaru watched their interaction with interest before deciding to get down to business and continue to explain,

"As you can see, you are not fully human any more. I don't really know what you are as well but perhaps it is natural seeing that this kind of situation only happens in demon legends. It is not a complete fact nor is it a compete hoax but this situation is indeed similar to the legend. Miko who are exposed to great power and are too obligated to their duty soon encounter something that will provide them with a tremendous energy, in this case it is a matter of love. When that occurs, the miko will either perish or become something of a merger for both. The result of the merge is a form of a hybrid; neither demon nor human nor hanyou but just as equally powerful. The reason for this merge is for the individual to overcome said trials."

Kagome looked at him,

"So...you're saying that...I'm a mutation or something? Ew... that's not really a sign..." Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow at her,

"You are not a mutation of any sorts, miko. It is merely a mixture of power and energy. The body of the miko that undergoes this transformation merely adapts to the energy needed by the miko to survive. It is a manner of survival for the body."

Kagome nodded in understanding and looked at him thoughtfully,

"I see. That's why I was able to imitate your whip but instead of using poison, I used purifying energy. That also explains why I can instantly heal as well but...I can't figure out how I even became a hybrid in the first place. And why is it even in demon legends?" Kagome was in deep thought when Genkai spoke up,

"Kagome, you are a powerful miko that is duty-bound and one who is exposed to continuous surges of power—the Jewel was with you since the day you were born; a demon lord as well as an old psychic have constantly trained you; you are presently fighting a powerful half-breed; and are in the company of a very powerful team. That is more that enough exposure to power to make you hybrid. As for your other question, demons do make it a habit of knowing the past, and ways of their enemies, miko, included." Kagome frowned,

"So that's why all other demons want my head on a platter...but why do Sesshomaru, Kurama, Hiei and some others don't threaten me as much." Sesshomaru gave her ghost of a smile,

"That is because you have earned a great deal of our respect and you have proven yourself worthy countless of times."

Kagome nodded but was still confused,

"Still, that does not explain why all the other miko don't go through this. Midoriko was just as powerful and she has no doubt been with many powerful beings as well. Kikyo was a guardian of the Jewel too and she came in contact with much more demons. Why am I the only one different?"

Sesshomaru eyed his distressed pupil and pondered on the matter himself. He was not really familiar with his kind's own legends let alone miko's legends and he did not care to think about them at all. Genkai was lost as well. She was not overly familiar with these things and she hated to see her granddaughter in such a helpless state. King Enma—who has remained quiet in the duration of the conversation—spoke up,

"That is because of one simple fact that you are the only one to love everyone around you. You might not know it but you are a miko with the largest heart I have ever seen. You selflessly care for the people around you. You would put yourself in harm's way to protect them and in doing such you are torn between your duty and love. Kagome, you are able to give up everything for the happiness of others even if it means that you will suffer under your obligations. Midoriko loved the people she tried to protect and so her love and duty coincide. So there is no conflict and no need for her to be a hybrid. Kikyo loved the hanyou, Inuyasha, and tried to convince him to be human for her. That in itself was for her duty and she tried to persuade Inuyasha to bend to her wishes for the sake of her happiness and her duty. She did not have to choose between duty and love as long as Inuyasha obeyed her. Even now as Kikyo still roams the Earth she cannot accomplish what you have for her duty is already passed unto you. The other miko were simply not strong enough to endure what you have."

Kagome growled in frustration and clutched her head, trying to prevent a huge headache and closed her eyes to think. Sesshomaru and Genkai watched with concern as the girl tried to absorb all that they are saying. It was indeed a very confusing matter and you had to be able to comprehend it completely to be able to accept what you really are.

Kagome knew that what they said was true and that she was torn between the two things most crucial in her life. She knew that there was absolutely nothing to argue about. Besides, she just ran out of questions for the time being. _My mind wants to rest...I'll just accept whatever and think about this later or something..._After a while; she opened her eyes and looked at Sesshomaru,

"All right, so you're saying that I'm still strong?" The demon lord nodded,

"Indeed, and you are welcome to boast that to the half-breed." Catching up to what he was suggesting, Kagome had this unusual glint of mischief in her eyes,

"Which one?"

"Both would probably suffice your entertainment. You are also welcome to go back to the Human World." Now _that _was something she didn't expect so soon. Genkai sensed her sudden confusion again and decided to fill her in on what was going on,

"When you died, I did not bury your body like all of you thought. I ran to Botan to immediately take your wounded body here, in Reikai, for healing. For some reason I knew that you would want to go back, whether it is for your team or the Jewel. Even my body is here. Koenma said for my body to be taken to this place just in case the dimwit wastes his wish on a little old hag like me."

"Wow...so you mean that my body is fully well and that I can go back any time now?" all three of them nodded. The miko looked at them skeptically,

"There has to be a catch, right? I mean, I heard from Keiko that Yusuke had to go through an ordeal or something to get his life back. I think that it would be completely unfair if I didn't get one as well. And this is _way _too good to be true." King Enma chuckled at this,

"Kagome, dear, Yusuke was an ordinary boy when he died, therefore we had to see if he was worth bringing back to life. You, however, died a hybrid and a Protector of the Shikon Jewel. You have not even completed your duty yet and you want more on your hands? I think that you proved yourself true enough and like you said, we have to bring you back to finish what you started." Kagome laughed in embarrassment,

"Hehe, well I didn't exactly want that...I was just curious, is all." Sesshomaru had a small smile on his face. It seems that his miko was recovering quite fast with these new people in her life. When he heard that his miko came to Reikai for permission to train with their strange team, he knew that this was around the time when she was a little cold and detached like him. Maybe he rubbed off on her too much during their training. He just hopes that they will not do anything to break her spirit again...

Sesshomaru and the others sighed at her remark. Deciding that they still have some business, they dismissed Kagome and told her to go see just how well her team was doing. King Enma had given her the permission to use the 'T.V.' in Koenma's room. It seems that she'll just wait to see if they need her or anything for now. She'll go back there soon enough. _Now, let's see what kind of crap the team is in..._

_**With the Urameshi Team...**_

Sakyo, seeing that his work was finished and that they have already allowed the changing of members for the Urameshi Team he called for Naraku who was behind him. No one noticed the half-breed as he entered the arena. Naraku had masked his scent and energy so as not to create any fuss and willed himself to stay quiet until something interesting happened—which he doubted would happen soon...

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were eyeing Kurama and Karasu, waiting for one of them to start the fight but before the combatants had a chance to launch their attacks, there was suddenly a huge explosion near the entrance of the stadium,

"WOW, PEOPLE! THE FIGHT HASN'T EVEN STARTED AND THERE'S ALREADY A FIT OF EXPLOSIONS! WONDER WHERE THAT CAME FROM!" announced Koto from her seat in the front. It kind of caught everyone off guard since they were too engrossed in the beginning of the finals. Even the people in both teams did not sense the presence of their 'guests'. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a demon slayer, a fire cat, a monk, a miko, a hanyou and a kitsune kit.

Naraku was watching from the shadows as the Inu-tachi emerged from the smoke and smirked in satisfaction. He would have attacked them at any given time now but even he knew that you should not engage in a meaningless fight unless your life depended on it in an era that you do not belong.

Kurama and his team were a bit surprised to see the miko that looked almost like there late teammate. Kuwabara though only thought that that was Kagome's twin or something but somehow her energy...seemed to belong to someone who was dead and was only brought "half" back to life. Kinda weird if you ask him.

"Wow! Who the hell are those creepy looking creeps?"

"Tell me Kuwabara, how does it feel to live in a constant haze of stupidity? Have you already forgotten the slayer and the kit that traveled with the miko? And it is quite obvious that your vocabulary is limited." replied the Jaganshi. The orange-haired human threw a fit immediately,

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you shrimp! I'm gonna pound your head so hard in the-"

"Children! Save for the bad guys! Leave them alone for now, we have to stay-" Yusuke's eyes landed immediately on the miko,

"...K-Kagome?" He almost ran to the miko thinking that she and Kagome were the same but was stopped by Hiei, who shook his head,

"She is not Kagome." And turned back to watch the fight. Yusuke followed his example while scanning the energies of the rag-tag group, just to make sure...The aura of the hanyou was red and wild but his sword had more power than him. The monk's aura was calm and a little..._perverted_? _EW_... As for the kit, he had a mischievous little turquoise aura around him. For the demon slayer, she had a strong pinkish aura enveloping her. For the woman who looked like Kagome, her aura was dead yet strong..._Kind of a weird combination don't you think?_ The fire cat was fierce and old but very, very capable of terrible feats. Yusuke smirked at the team..._So these are Kagome's friends from the Feudal Era. Heh, they're not too different from us at all._

*Detective, I suggest you keep your eyes focused on the fight.*

\They haven't even started yet.\

*Hn, aren't you fortunate.*

\Hey, don't get started on me, three-eyes. Even Kurama and that sloppy opponent of his are distracted.\

*Suit yourself.*

\I will! \

_**On the ring...**_

"Aren't those a strange bunch of apparitions? Do you know them Kurama?" asked Karasu as he observed the Inu Gang from the ring. The hanyou was screaming at all the demon in the stadium to 'Shut the Hell Up!' while the monk and the slayer tried to calm him down. The undead priestess was sending Karasu nasty glares as well as the fire cat and the kit. _It seems...that I have made these fools rather angry...It would be amusing if I knew why though... _Thought Karasu as he returned their glare.

"UM, JURI? ARE THEY GONNA START THE FIGHT ANY TIME NOW? THE AUDIENCE DOESN'T LOOK TOO HAPPY!" hearing this, the fish-like referee snapped out of her daze,

"OH, RIGHT! WELL PEOPLE, SORRY FOR THE DELAY! ANYWAY, BOTH FIGHTERS PLEASE PROCEED ONCE MORE TO THE CENTER! 1...2...3...FIGHT!"

Kurama glares at Karasu with utter distaste. The bat-like demon merely smirked beneath his mask,

"Tell me, Kurama; are you immensely brave or immensely stupid. You have witnessed my powers yet you are willing to face me in your human form. Or possibly," Karasu narrowed his eyes in realization, "you're taking this personally." Kurama clenched his fists and teeth,

"You only need to know that you will not leave this ring alive." Pulling out a handful of petals, Kurama prepared to unleash his attack. Karasu chuckled while producing a ball of glowing energy,

"Oh, so it _is_ personal. I apologize for not killing your precious miko in front of you, Kurama but I have my orders from her enemy. Now, shall we start?" With that, Karasu neared him,

_Karasu is dominant in both power and speed. I shall have to stall him long enough for the potion to take effect..._

"One more thing you should know, Kurama I don't have to touch you to kill you. It's merely one of the perks." Scowling, Kurama blew the petals from his hand, surrounding him in a whirlwind of pretty flowers. As Karasu enters the whirlwind, he was cut on the cheek by a petal,

"This is quite an elegant display, Kurama, but you should know that they are weak and lacking in substance, just like you." Just like that, the petals that charged the demon were blown to ashes. Gasping at his opponent's attack, Kurama jumped back. Karasu chuckled once again,

"I told you, I don't need to touch something to destroy it. My power is everywhere and everything; it's in the air you breathe as well. My hands merely serve as vessels for my power."

Karasu runs straight at Kurama and tries to get a hold of him and launches a ferocious combination of attacks. Kurama tried to stun him with his rose whip but it was blown in half by another of Karasu's invisible bombs. Karasu tries to wound Kurama with his...glowing, red, fingernails? Wow, this guy has some serious issues. Kurama counter-attacks but he only hit thin air. Looking left and right, Kurama notices the shadow above him and jumps right out of the way just in time to avoid a bat-like attack from above.

However,

"Ahh!" in an instant, Kurama's arm was bleeding non-stop along with his leg. Struggling to stay upright, Kurama watched in anger as Karasu laughed at his predicament,

"Let me explain my power to you, Kurama. I can manipulate energy around me and materialize it into anything I please. It is deadly as it is invisible." He formed another green bomb in his palm and threw it straight at the wavering Kurama who was too weak to dodge...

_**With the Inu Gang...**_

"Ow! Damnit! Let me go out there and kill that bastard! I can smell Kagome's death on him! He's the reason, she's dead!" screamed Inuyasha as he tried to charge the contestant in all black. Sango was desperately clinging to Inuyasha's haori,

"Inuyasha, this is not your fight! Let Kurama-san handle this!"

"Who in the hell is Kurama?"

"Inuyasha! Please stop this madness!" Miroku knew their plea would not be heard and knocked Inuyasha out with his staff in a jiffy. The hanyou slumped over with a huge bump in his head. Sango sighed in relief and dragged the hanyou near the rest of the Urameshi team. Kikyo and the others in tow. Approaching the Jaganshi, she asked,

"So what's happening?" the demon did not spare her a glance nor a reply. Irritated, the slayer was about to punch him straight in the face but was answered by Koenma,

"The Finals are just starting and Kurama has claimed the first match." Sango nodded and filled in her group with the needed info. Then suddenly something exploded. Again. Every human shielded their ears from the intense roar of the explosion created by the contestants. Then,

"W-What is that strange youki coming from the fighters?" asked Kikyo. She was sweating with the force of the energy pressing down on her.

"I-I've never felt anything like this..." Just as she said that, the smoke that covered the ring was transformed into a big bout of energy with black lightning shooting out into the crowd. Shippo who was on Kirara, trembled with fear and shuddered as the energy reached near him.

"T-This energy is monstrous...Almost like Sesshomaru's..."Miroku decided that it was best to put up an energy shield just in case one of those dangerous "lightning-thingies" hit them. Sango could see Hiei smirking as he watched the display of energy,

"What are you so happy about?"

"He's back."

"Who?" asked Yusuke as he removed the boulder from on top of him.

"What the hell s shrimpy talking about?" shouted an exasperated carrot-top.

"Watch."

Turning all their attention back to the competitors on the ring, they noticed that Karasu was stuck in the hand by a rose. The black-haired demon scowled as he cautiously watched the smoke as it started to clear...revealing none other than Youko Kurama! The Inu-tachi was agape as the legendary bandit appeared before them. He was silver all over and all over, he was quite a sight. Gold eyes, sharp claws, evil smile, everything promised death and pain for those who meant him any harm.

"That's Kurama!" Yusuke exclaimed unbelievingly.

_**Back on the ring...**_

"You are a demon of the Quest Class. You are very fortunate, I consider this class quite worthy—worthy to fight and worthy to kill." came the fox thief's voice. Karasu sneered,

"You may have changed in form but we are not equals!" he formed another two of those green energy bombs in his palm and threw them straight at Youko. The silver fighter smirked,

"I see. You create monsters out of your energy. Now, I know why in my human body I could not see your 'bombs'. It was difficult to fight you blindly. It was impressive..." he threw two more roses to destroy the bombs"...for a while." Youko's smirk grew as he saw Karasu clench his teeth and say,

"That's just a loser's excuse." A group of bat-like, one-eyed monster bombs were headed once more towards the kitsune. Said demon dodged them perfectly both on the ground and mid air. Some of them collided with eachother while the others continued to pursue the King of Thieves.

"I call these 'Trace Eyes'. Once they saw you, they will forever follow you until you die." Youko neatly avoided the little monsters while saying something about an Ojigi plant.

"I'm not interested in gardening." came the reply of Karasu. Youko landed on the ring once more and waited for the bombs to be near enough before chanting something under his breath.

"What's this? Are you praying already?" taunted Karasu. Thinking he already had the upper hand Karasu smirked as the bombs exploded around the fox but then, a whirl of energy surrounded Youko once more and pillars of energy emerged from around him and were formed into one of his demonic plants.

"You should know better than to corner a wild animal, Karasu. We have a tendency to show our teeth." the Ojigi plant around him was big, violet and grotesque.

"The Ojigi plant is very sensitive. It can detect even the most insignificant movement like the spasm of the muscles. Your trembling is attracting it's attention, Karasu, you might want to stop." the plants around Youko had enormous mouths with _very _painful looking teeth. Karasu grits his teeth once more before running. The plants were right behind him as they tried to devour the demon whole. Everywhere Karasu lands, either a new plant appears from the ring or a portion of it is destroyed. As Karasu runs, the plants pursuing him shoot out some sort of red substance that can incinerate him in an instant.

Deciding to try and fight off these plants, Karasu materialized a grenade in his hand and threw it towards a few of them but to no avail. He was caught in one of the plants...

_**Outside of the ring...**_

"What the hell! That's just disgusting." came Yusuke's comment. Inuyasha was still knocked out thank Kami. Hiei and Kikyo were eying the battle closely. Miroku Shippo and Kirara were shuddering at the power that was surging through the arena. They didn't know that there were these kinds of battles in the Modern Era. Surprised to say, they were all quite unprepared. Then, Miroku suddenly noticed something they haven't noticed since they first came here...

"Naraku is here!" the Inu-tachi's heads snapped to where the monk was pointing, heck, even Inuyasha woke up at the mention of that bastard hanyou's name. They got their stances ready but were stopped by Sesshomaru.

"Get out of the way, you bastard!" yelled Inuyasha as he tried to fight his way through his brother. Sesshomaru wouldn't budge and glared at his brother with annoyance,

"Fool, do you think you can defeat him like this? We cannot fight the half-breed now, whether you like it or not. We are not in our time and it would not be wise to attack in a place where we don't belong."

"What the hell! Let me at 'im, you big jerk! He's the one who ordered Kagome's death and I'm not just gonna sit here-!"

"You _will,_ youinsolent pup! Do you think Kagome would want you to get in trouble by not following the rules of her world? You will face Naraku again but for now, leave him be." Inuyasha looked like a beaten puppy as he was carried off by his friends before Sesshomaru lost control and hit the insolent whelp.

"Thank you for preventing him." Bowed Kikyo and Sango as they rushed back to the Urameshi team. Sesshomaru almost growled at his brother's disgrace. He knew it was that bastard who ordered Kagome's demise. Doesn't his half-brother understand why he was here in the first place? Doesn't he know how hard it is to not kill that filthy creature right now? And then he wonders why he tries to kill him all the time. _Insolent half-breed..._

_**With Kagome...**_

Kagome watched from the screen in Koenma's office as Youko seemingly reverted back into his human form after Karasu's attack. That disgusting creature had his hair-color changed after he lost his mask. And it seems that his change of hair came with his change of power.

"That disgusting bastard never did know when to quit...*gasp* Oh no!" Kagome watched as Kurama was slowly being killed by that son of a bitch... Damnit! Worry overcame Kagome as she saw his eyes. He was getting ready to summon something and it's probably gonna cost him his life! She did not give him the Jewel and that sappy letter if she knew he would give up his life after her warnings! _Oh, please... Don't you dare die on me!_ With that, Kagome bolted out of the office and towards the gates of Reikai at top speed...

_**On the ring...**_

_How? The potion wasn't supposed to wear off just yet! ...I see. Every time I take some of that potion, the duration of the effects shortens..._ Kurama's thoughts were cut short by the hysterical laughter of his opponent who had just gone through some disgusting changes.

"You should start you prayers now since you're about to meet your Creator! You can ask him why he flawed with you!" Kurama jumped onto the ring once more and tried to summon his trade ark rose whip but he was already too weak to conjure it. Instead Kurama made a desperate attack and charged Karasu with furious combinations of kicks and punches until Karasu tried to hit him with another energy bomb but Kurama dodged it,

"I will not fear something with which I cannot see!" the fox smacked Karasu's chest, effectively pushing him backwards. Breathing deeply, Kurama watched in slight fear as Karasu snickered and removed the seed imbedded in his chest. After disposing of that seed, Karasu had another trick up his sleeve. Kurama gasped as he was suddenly strapped to the ground by a metal contraption that just sprouted out of the ring and it had a weird talking, one-eyed bomb with it as well. One minute it was babbling nonsense when it exploded once more. Injuring Kurama's leg for the second time today.

"Ahhh!"

"I call this my Mad Bomb." Kurama was reacquainted with the ground once more. Pain seared once more through his body as he struggled to stand. Now upright, Kurama tried to stay firmly on his feet and think of a way to beat Karasu when,

"Kurama, don't move! You're surrounded by bombs!" yelled Yusuke. Hearing this, the fox stiffened in his place,

"What's the matter, Kurama? I thought you said you won't be afraid of what you can't see." teased Karasu as he slowly made his way to Kurama,

"You look just like how your miko died." Kurama's head snapped towards Karasu with anger clearly seen in his green eyes. Even Sango, Inuyasha, Shippo, and the rest glared at his statement.

"Do you want to die the way she did? That can be arranged." The bombs around Kurama closed in on him and as contact was made, they exploded in different parts of Kurama's body. Blood gushed out and splattered everywhere. His cries of pain were loud and clear.

Hiei, Yusuke and the others clenched their teeth as they watched their friend suffer. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes; this man killed his pack-mate and is now willing to kill another one he deems worthy of accepting in his pack. If Kagome had not told him not to harm anyone unless then that demon and Naraku would be nothing but ash on the ground.

"Tired already?" Karasu loomed over Kurama's bloody body and smirked,

"You look just like Kagome. In fact, if you haven't noticed, I avoided both of your faces. I just love the desperation in them but I prefer Kagome's much more. Her expression was to die for!" the blonde maniac laughed once again. Juri neared them and decided to start counting,

"1...2...3..."

_I have to face my responsibility and make a stand. I have to kill this man no matter what. The wound on his chest...it was a vital mistake for Karasu to let himself bleed so close to the heart. That streak of blood is enough to attract a blood-thirsty plant from the pits of Demon world. If I summon all of my energy, it might just be enough to bring out the plant. I may die but at least he does as well..._

Kurama hoisted himself on all fours and called up all his remaining life energy, successfully, the plant sprouted from where he was and aimed straight at Karasu's chest before plunging into him completely—draining him of his blood and energy making him fall to the ground...dead.

Kurama's body hit the ground right after the plant had appeared. His life was slowly slipping away into the darkness...when,

"_What the hell is the matter with you? I told you not to get yourself killed, stupid!" _that voice...Kagome?

"_Yes, it's me, you moron! Now get up! I will not allow you to die here, you hear me! You will not die here, not if I have anything to say about it. Get off your ass and stand up!"_

Kurama looked around and saw a very angry looking Kagome hovering over him (she didn't wear her mask). But if he looked closer, Kagome was...crying? That made him stand up immediately only to be surprised that there was barely any pain from his wounds at all.

"_How could you be so stupid! I told you, didn't I? I told you to remember what I said. I said that if you die...I-I'll kill you. You are so stupid! I-I thought I was too late...Damnit! You-You had me so damn worried!" _she was crying now and her hands covered her face... Kurama didn't really know what to do but he followed his body and wrapped his arm around her waist and the other pressed her head closer to his shoulder,

"_I'm sorry. It was not my intention to make you worry. It just seemed like I didn't have any other choice at the time. I'm sorry." _Kurama hugged her tightly, afraid to let go and lose her again. He was caught off guard when she did embrace him back for a short while before pushing him away,

"_You better wake up now. Time can't stop any longer. Remember, get up..." _Kurama tried to go after her but she was fading pretty fast and his damn eyes were opening already as his body stood up out of its own accord.

Suddenly, Kurama found himself standing in the ring with a dead Karasu not too far from him. He knew he lost. But that was not important right now... at the very least he killed Karasu for good. In the background, he could hear Juri announcing who won officially. It was Karasu. It seems that his death plant did not reach him until 10:28 which was beyond the time limit of ten seconds. He could hear Yusuke and the others protesting but that was not really what was going through his mind right now...

*Fox,*

~...I saw her, Hiei...~

*Hn, get a grip. It's over.*

~I do not think so.~

*Hn,*

Kurama got off the stage with Yusuke's help and was set aside to a safe spot for a little rest before Hiei stepped up and faced Bui...

*Suit yourself, fox. But I'm not going to get my hopes up.*

~Hm...~

And Hiei's fight commenced...

TBC...

Wew! That was quite a chapter...Hope you guys like it! I'm sorry if I confuse you on the hybrid thing. I just made that up to explain her change and all. Sorry if it wasn't good. Any who, I just want you guys to know that I will not put much detail in all the other fights, not even Yusuke's) since you know what's gonna happen anyway. I think I'll just mention it in passing...or something...

Anyway, please, forgive the errors and as always...Hope you like it! ^-^


	24. The Truth Will Out!

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 24

Kagome sighed. She must have looked so stupid crying like that in front of Kurama. _It was his damn fault anyway! If he hadn't pulled that ridiculous stunt then I would've never broke down like that. Damnit...I hate being weak like this..._Coming across the door she sought, Kagome opened them. She was looking for Sesshomaru and now she finds him signing documents. Before coming in completely, she leaned on the doorframe and looked at her mentor as he proceeded to work. It reminded her of the old days. She would always barge in his room and they'd spend some time together. Sometimes she'd help him with the paperwork. Other times, she would just lie in his bed and watch him. Most of the time, she would forcefully engage him in a conversation. They were so close back then...

"Is there something bothering you?" asked the demon, still too engrossed in his work to look at her.

"You know, I should get you a laptop or something. I don't think it's easy for you to keep signing and ordering demons to deliver those documents. Maybe I should get you a printer as well." suggested Kagome as she sat on the bed and kept her gaze on him.

"Hm… and how would that benefit me when there is no electricity in Demon world? If there were, then I would be the only one who knows how's to use it and that wouldn't do me any good either." Kagome smiled and stretched her arms above her head,

"You're probably right." This time Sesshomaru looked at her blankly,

"And only now have you noticed that?" Kagome scowled lightly,

"Arrogant demon."

"I admit, your observation skills do surprise me, miko." Giving up, Kagome sighed and flopped herself on Sesshomaru's bed, cuddling his pillow like she always did back then, whatever it was they seemed to be doing—talking, working—she would always end up cuddling his pillow. His scent always did bring her comfort and it still does. Sesshomaru sensed something wrong with her and asked again,

"Is there something bothering you, miko?" Kagome sat back up on his bed, still clutching his pillow to her chest, breathing in his scent,

"Nothing. I just had to rush to Ningenkai to make sure Kurama stayed alive." Arching a delicate eyebrow,

"It seems that you care for this person much more than your other teammates." Kagome's eyes widened,

"W-What are you t-talking about? I care for them equally!" stated the miko. Sesshomaru shrugged ever so slightly,

"Hn, you tell yourself that yet you know you are lying. Remember, miko, I am a demon, and I am not a fool but more importantly, I _know _you." Kagome sighed in defeat and flopped back down on his bed again, trying to think straight,

"I can't care for him. I-I have too much on my hands already. You know that."

"Is it not the reason why you are a hybrid?" countered the demon lord. He heard Kagome growl in utter frustration and put on a self-satisfied smirk.

Just as Kagome was about to retort with a snide remark, an ogre came in the room. Sesshomaru looked up and saw that the orange ogre had bowed,

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Kagome, but we have news on the Urameshi team." Kagome sat up straight immediately and watched as the ogre pulled a remote out and clicked a button before a big screen appeared. It showed Hiei and Bui having a fight between their energies. Kagome shivered as she watched Hiei's dragon charge at Bui who was engulfed in his green battle aura.

Their fight had already ripped most of the stadium apart. Sesshomaru watched in mild amusement for a while before turning back to his paperwork. Kagome could not keep her eyes off of the fight. Bui deflected his dragon and turned it back on Hiei. Bui hoped that Hiei would be consumed by his own attack so that he can end and win this match.

Another ogre came into the room and this time it was blue, and handed Kagome some files on this Bui character before leaving with the first ogre. Kagome read them quickly and found that both Bui and Karasu were defeated by the Toguro brothers some years ago and are only fighting in this tournament in hopes that they will one day get strong enough to beat them. Kagome shook her head at this

..._Men..._

Placing down the files she just read, she focused back on the fight and saw that Hiei had marvelously consumed the dragon. Bui was trying in sheer desperation to inflict pain on the Jaganshi but it was useless. In the end Hiei won and soon fell into hibernation. Kagome giggled at what he said to his own team just before falling asleep,

"If I find out that we lost when I wake up...I…swear...I will kill...you…all..."and then he fell. (You gotta admit that was frickin funny :D) Once the announcement was made that they will have an intermission to replace the poor broken ring, Kagome sighed,

"Damn..." Sesshomaru looked at her,

"You did not find satisfaction in the Jaganshi's victory?" Kagome looked at him like he was crazy,

"Of course I did! I'm just relieved that it didn't lead to something too drastic."

"You call, destroying half of the stadium and most of the ring not drastic, miko?" Kagome almost threw the pillow at him if only he weren't Sesshomaru and she made sure he knew that.

"Oh? Then why would you throw it at me in the first place?" Kagome thought about it for a while before sputtering colorful curses. Sesshomaru only chuckled and resumed working.

"You know, I liked you better when you barely talked."

"Oh really? I doubt you can live with me keeping to myself." As he was looking over the papers, he was surprised when Kagome suddenly wrapped her arms around him affectionately.

"You're right; I can't live with you like that. I never would, anyway." Sesshomaru smiled and relaxed in her embrace.

_It has been a while since we were like this... I can't believe I missed Sesshomaru this much..._

_**With the team...**_

They were in a locker room waiting for the replacement of the ring. Kurama and Yusuke were leaning silently on the wall while Kuwabara was shuddering in the corner. He had a little talk with the Elder Toguro and that kind of stripped him of his confidence. Hiei was sleeping on a bunk bed. Shizuru knew her brother was scared and that she knew something was wrong with him since he never acted like that before.

"H-Hey, Urameshi, is Kagome gonna be coming any time soon 'cause she should really-"

"She's not coming Kuwabara. I told you, she's not well." Then everything was silent except for Kuwabara's mumbling,

"What is it with Kagome and Genkai getting sick at the same time anyway? They looked really healthy to me the other day..." Gritting his teeth, Yusuke bit back,

"Well they aren't healthy right now, okay!" Yusuke stormed out leaving a confused Kuwabara, a silent Kurama and a hibernating Hiei.

Then the ground shook, shocking the two contestants awake in the room. They immediately rushed out of the room and straight into the arena. Yusuke was there saying something about it not being a big monster.

The younger one of the Toguro brothers was carrying the ring from their last stadium on his back. Talk about weight-lifting...

Kuwabara shuddered again, his fight with the elder Toguro would start sooner than he expected, which is not a very good sign...

_**With the Inu gang...**_

Inuyasha was pacing back and forth as all of the demons in the area were barely paying attention to him and the others. He didn't know why it was so different here; he didn't know why his bastard of a brother was preventing him from killing their arch enemy when he's just standing a few meters away from him; he didn't get why Kagome cared about that 'team' of weirdoes he just saw a while ago; and he didn't know why Sesshomaru was with them in the first-place!

"Are you incapable of remaining in one place at a time, half-breed?" inquired Sesshomaru as he approached them; his tone was just like every other time he spoke to those outside of his pack—cold and monotonous. Inuyasha glared at him,

"What are you doing here, you bas-!"

"Hold you tongue, Inuyasha. Your brother has been nothing but a help to us and to Kagome." scolded Kikyo as she laid a pale hand on the hanyou's shoulder. Murmuring something inaudible under his breath the hanyou resorted to backing down. Sango and Miroku shook their heads at their friend's stupidity before facing Sesshomaru.

"This Sesshomaru came here to tell you not to interfere with the miko's wishes. You will be accompanying the females of the Urameshi team and keep them from getting harmed." Inuyasha just decided to open his big mouth didn't he?

"Kikyo's wishes?" Sango had to 'bonk' him on the head,

"No, you idiot, Kagome! Sheesh, no wonder she was angry at you."

"All right already! Stop hitting me, will you?"

"I would if you would stop behaving so immaturely!" seethed Sango ass she hoisted her Hiraikotsu for good measure. Miroku sweat-dropped and tried to prevent them from fighting any longer,

"Now, now..."

As the Inu-tachi went on with their rants, the demon lord decided to take his leave. His job was finished with them and now he had to return to the others. He often wondered why he would go through such lengths to please the late miko but then, his answer would always be the same. _She would do the same for this Sesshomaru._..

_**Naraku...**_

"Sakyo, it seems that the miko has hid the Jewel too well for my liking. I cannot find nor trace its aura." stated Naraku as he watched the Inu-tachi get to know another bunch of human females. The man beside him held his cigarette from his mouth,

"It seems that you are not the only one planning 5 steps ahead. This Kagome character is very tactful, indeed." The hanyou sneered,

"And to think that she was once a foolish girl who knew not a dream from the truth. She has made excellent progress ever since she returned to this era." Sakyo raised an eyebrow,

"'Era'? You mean she can travel through time?" Naraku chuckled evilly,

"I have told you that I came from a time 500 years in the past and you believed me but now you cannot imagine that a miko and her friends can travel through time." Sakyo closed his eyes with an amused smile on his lips,

"These things are not part of a human's everyday life and be thankful that I believed you in the first place."

_**6 hours later...**_

The Urameshi team was standing near the ring, waiting for the fights to resume. Yusuke was busy contemplating about too many depressing stuff and Kuwabara was busy fidgeting and trying to hide his fear. Sesshomaru was plain bored.

"Hey, uh, Mister...Demon? ...Do you want to fight?" asked Kuwabara tentatively. Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow,

"This Sesshomaru does not." Kuwabara sighed in desperation,

"If only Kagome were here she would take my place for me..."whined the big lug.

"No, you pull your own weight from now on." Hiei was approaching them with Kurama right behind him.

"Hey, Hiei." greeted the detective. He nodded in return.

"ALL RIGHT, YOU BLOOD-THIRSTY DEMONS! LET'S GET READY FOR THE SLAUGHTER OF THE YEAR! IT'S KUWABARA VERSUS TOGURO!" announced Juri as she motioned for each fighter. Kuwabara stiffened before climbing up the ring only to find the Elder Toguro sneering at him...

_**With Kagome...**_

"Ne, Sesshomaru...do you think it was all right for me to give Kurama the Shikon?" the miko was on the bed playing with her mentor's hair.

Somehow, she managed to pull Sesshomaru from his work and made him rest. They were on the bed relaxing and relaying their stories to each other over the past centuries. Kagome learned Sesshomaru never planned to mate and if he ever needed to pass his duty as demon lord unto somebody other than his heir then he would either give it to her or to Inuyasha—no matter how much of an idiot he might be. The Daiyoukai learned that the miko many extraordinary adventures in the Feudal Era and in the Modern.

Now, their main topic was about the Jewel itself and how much of a trouble it really is. The demon who was lying down on her lap stared up at her,

"Only you can answer your own question, miko." Kagome dropped the braid she made of his hair and leaned on the headboard,

"You may think that I'm weak for thinking this but I feel like I can trust them with my heart and never have a second thought about it. Kurama never gave in to the jewel's calling and he did not want to take it from me at first. I know his past was..._is _far from pretty but...i can't help but feel safe, for me and the Jewel..."

"You are not weak for feeling secure, miko. You were the one who taught me that 500 years ago. It took me 2 more centuries to find out what you meant then. If that is what you feel with the fox then so be it." He heard Kagome giggle before feeling her forehead on his,

"Thank you for reminding me, Sesshomaru. I guess, no matter what, you will always be special..."

"I know."

_**In the Middle of Kuwabara's fight...**_

Kuwabara was bleeding like a stock pig while Toguro with the straggly-hair was holding him down with his extended fingers. There fight had been going on for about 10 minutes. On the first half of it, Kuwabara unleashed his newly enhanced spirit sword using the hilt that was given to him by Suzuka, then the next...well, as you can see, elder Toguro had pinned him down.

"Hehe, you look just like when your miko and mentor died...Hahahaha!" Kuwabara's eyes widened,

"W-What are you t-talking about, you j-jerk?" The demon holding him down sneered,

"Oh, so your friends have been keeping secrets from you, Kuwabara. Didn't they tell you that Kagome and Genkai died? They have been for two days now." Kuwabara's breath was hitched in his throat as he looked disbelievingly at Toguro. The demon smirked and decided to spill the beans,

"Your _precious_ Kagome was begging for mercy while Toguro tried to kill her _darling_ grandmother. She was on her knees and pleaded for her grandmother's life while the old hag fell asleep. The miko had asked for her death and it was pretty pathetic, the way she looked as Karasu killed her. Hahahaha! As for Genkai, well...She was foolish enough to go back to Toguro for her death. Her granddaughter's pitiful sacrifice was useless. You see, there was once a beautiful girl..." Toguro had continued his story of Genkai and Toguro (A/N: You already know Genkai's story concerning Toguro so I'll just skip that.)

"That's a frickin lie and you know it, Toguro! Kagome never begged! She fought for Genkai and she didn't just sit there and beg! You twisted bastard!" yelled Yusuke as he clenched his fists. He could feel Kurama's aura darken behind him. Looking back at the fox, he was suddenly scared shitless with the death glare he was giving Toguro.

"You fool, only you would suggest that she would sink so low as to plead with you!" growled Hiei as his Jagan started to waken once more. He could feel Kurama's aura quite well and the fox was far from pleased... Even the hanyou and his friends were shouting protests in the background…

TBC…

Hope you like this one! Tell me how it goes.

Please read and review!


	25. Hidden Motives?

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 25

_**On the ring...**_

Kuwabara stared at Elder Toguro in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kagome and Genkai were... He shook his head viciously, trying to remove those thoughts from his head. He faced his opponent and shouted,

"You're lying! They would never be defeated by you freaks!" With that Kuwabara push himself off the ground and charged at him, intending to get back his hilt. It was right behind his enemy. His attempt failed when the demon pierced his right shoulder causing him to fall to his knees and cough up more blood. Elder Toguro laughed at his pathetic face,

"I'm not lying, Kuwabara. This is one of those rare times when I _do _tell the truth. It's a real shame that you didn't see them. Hahahahaha!"

Kuwabara gritted his teeth, it was true. _Everything this punk's saying is true... 'Why didn't they tell me...?' _It suddenly occurred to him why everyone told him that Kagome was unavailable today. It explained the strange forlorn feeling he got two days ago. _'So all this time...they were lying to me...Telling me Kagome and Genkai were sick...was a frickin' lie!' _It all made perfect sense now. Everyone knew about it except him. They didn't even bother telling him anything. Memories of their previous conversations concerning Kagome flashed in his mind..._  
_

_**"Okay... let me guess, Kagome is above me."**_

_**"Let's go back to the hotel."**_

_**"Um…Where's Kagome? I haven't seen her since yesterday."**_

_**"She's…not feeling well…"**_

_**"What? How can she not feel well? It's the night of the finals!"**_

_**"Why are you so depressed anyways, Urameshi? Heck, even shrimpy, here is too quiet."**_

_**"What's wrong with everyone today!"**_

_**"What the hell is going on with you people!"**_

_**"Who the hell are you?"**_

_**"You will do well to watch your tongue, human, lest I detach it from your mouth. I am Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands and I am here as a favor to Kagome. Be thankful that she deemed you worthy of my time."**_

_**"Whaddya mean 'as a favor to Kagome'? Isn't she just sick or something?"**_

"Hehehe, Kagome sure is like an old lady. Does it take forever to get out of bed?"

_**"H-Hey, Urameshi, is Kagome gonna be coming any time soon 'cause she should really-"**_

_**"She's not coming Kuwabara. I told you, she's not well."**_

_**"What is it with Kagome and Genkai getting sick at the same time anyway? They looked really healthy to me the other day..."**_

_**"Well they aren't healthy right now, okay!"**_

_**"If only Kagome were here she would take my place for me..."**_

_**"No, you pull your own weight from now on."**_

Kuwabara slowly stood up and glared at Elder Toguro..._'This bastard is gonna pay!'_ Kuwabara clenched his fists and let his spirit flare. With enough concentration, the orange-haired boy summoned his energy and formed a different attack. He had shaped his spirit energy into small versions of his spirit sword around him before firing them at the Elder Toguro. The latter did not expect such an attack and had himself impaled on Kuwabara's attack. The boy retrieved his hilt and formed his sword while anticipating his opponent's next move...

_**With Keiko, Shizuru, Botan, and Puu...**_

"I-is that true? Are they really?" Keiko trembled at the news and refused to believe it. Her eyes drifted to Shizuru who threw away her cigarette. Botan was already clutching her sides to keep her unceasing tears from falling. Keiko's eyes widened and slowly shook her head before burying it in her hands.

_**In Reikai...**_

Kagome and Genkai have already started to prepare for their departure. Sesshomaru was in Koenma's office. They watched as the tall, orange-haired teenager struggled to absorb the bad news before regaining his resolve. The prince sighed in irritation,

"Why do I have the feeling that Naraku will not be defeated here?" This has been bugging him ever since the half-breed appeared. _'Something was wrong about his presence. It's like he's not even there to begin with.'_

"He is not." replied the Taiyoukai. Koenma looked at him in confusion. The demon's answer was not really appropriate for his earlier question. Sesshomaru looked at him blankly,

"Have you forgotten that like the Jaganshi, I, too, am able to read minds to some degree?" Realization dawned the prince's face,

"Oh yes, right. Forgive me."

"Hn. That half-breed is too much of a coward to risk his flesh in an era he knows nothing of. For someone like me who has fought him before, it is clear that he is using his favorite puppets to deceive us." Koenma groaned,

"So this means that the gathering of Kagome's friends here is useless or perhaps a trap? If that's the case then why would he bother to come here? The Jewel is hidden and he cannot get it for now. What's his motive?" Sesshomaru started walking towards the doors,

"If I knew, I would not waste my time staying here."

When the demon lord left, Koenma sank back in his chair and let out a breath that he had been unconsciously holding ever since Sesshomaru entered his office with him. _'It's not easy being around that guy...how does Kagome do it?' _Koenma turned his attention back to the fight, surprisingly Kuwabara had already won. As the orange-haired boy got off the ring, he immediately landed a powerful right to Yusuke's jaw. Koenma was so deep in thought that while the detective was explaining something, the prince involuntarily transformed into a toddler and sucked his pacifier.

Everything seemed to be getting quite out of hand. For now though, Koenma could only guess and follow the rules. Not to mention, keep an eye on that hanyou. If what Sesshomaru said was true, and that the real Naraku was in hiding, then they could only hope to be prepared for the worst to come...

"Ahhh! I can't take it any more! My brain was not built for deep thinking! It was built for signing documents and sorting papers! AAAARRRGGHHH!"

As Koenma continued his tantrum, George walked in with a pile of papers. The ogre was about to gently put the pile on his boss' desk when a remote suddenly hit his head. _'Why me?'_

**_With the Inu-gang..._**

Kikyo eyed Naraku carefully. Normally, he would've already gone for the jewel and left. Why was he sitting there? Doing nothing? The undead priestess knew that the Jewel was with the fox. She could sense it but its aura was faint. Probably because, the one known as Kurama was currently emitting a strong youki. Enough to drown out the Jewel's own presence.

"Kikyo?" She turned her head to face the concern on Inuyasha's face. She gave him a small smile of reassurance and looked back at the fight. The man known as Sakyo had already announced that he was betting his life on Yusuke's and Toguro's fight. Kikyo's brows furrowed, does this mean that Naraku had no intention of fighting at all...?

**_With Kagome and Genkai..._**

Kagome looked outside the window of the room. There wasn't anything but clouds and a faraway view of the River Styx. Genkai was sitting on a chair next to her,

"Kagome, what do you know of Naraku's plans?" Kagome narrowed her eyes,

"It's obvious that he wants the Jewel but he didn't come to this time himself to retrieve it. He obviously made a pact with Sakyo and the Toguro team. But no matter how I think about it, it seems too simple. I had covered the Jewel's aura with my own and it blends with Kurama's perfectly. We should have no trouble about Naraku finding it as of yet. When we go back, I need to ask for Sesshomaru's help in gathering information on the half-breed."

"Why don't you ask your friends? They seem more than capable enough in helping you." Kagome turned to her and smiled,

"They are. I will need them in fighting against Naraku but as for the information, me and Sesshomaru and perhaps, Kikyo as well, would be enough." Genkai looked at her, too,

"After this tournament, I was planning on testing Yusuke and the others." Kagome raised an eyebrow,

"Why would you need to test them still? Is something gonna happen?" Genkai shrugged,

"I have no idea. But I have a strange feeling. I just want them to be prepared." Kagome gave her a look before nodding,

"It seems like I'm gonna have my work cut out for me. I can't guarantee anything yet, though. I may be wrong in my assumptions." Genkai smirked before sobering up again,

"I'll inform you about anything unusual on this side." Kagome gave her a grateful smile,

"Hm, I have a feeling that Naraku's defeat will be the least of our problems." Genkai nodded.

**_With the Urameshi team..._**

The ring and the stadium were nothing short of destroyed. Yusuke was fighting Toguro fiercely. Their attacks caused the weak demons in the crowd to have their souls sucked out or have their butts fried to a crisp. Kuwabara lay on the ground. It was Toguro's doing. He had stabbed the boy in the chest and was left there to die. It was the reason why the detective's strength increased ten-fold. His power had matched Toguro's and the latter kept saying how much fun they were having.

Kurama ignored his own wounds and carried the body of the carrot-top away from the two clashing powers. Hiei followed him. Sesshomaru was still sitting on that boulder with narrowed eyes. Something was annoying him to no end. As soon as the detective's battle became serious, and the energies started going haywire, that despicable creature had disappeared without a trace...again.

The demon lord stood and walked away. He had no interest in this fight, he wanted to find Naraku. As he exited the stadium, the Inu-gang had followed him out wondering what was he up to. They all tried to sneak behind him but he was still too good for that,

"Sneaking is rather pointless. Follow if you wish, however, don't get in the way." they came out and Inuyasha 'humphed',

"Why would we follow you anyway?" Kikyo glared at him, effectively shutting up. Sesshomaru continued to walk away.

They had reached the forest surrounding the area, when a shadow emerged from the trees. Sango and Miroku readied their weapons, Kikyo put Shippo behind her. She wanted to protect the kit in honor of Kagome. She notched an arrow, Kirara transformed,baring her sharp teeth, and Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsuaiga. Sesshomaru remained still and eyed the shadow as it revealed itself to be Naraku (A/N: That's a surprise...not).

"Kukuku, well if it isn't Lord Sesshomaru himself. Not to mention, Inuyasha and his _friends._" He sneered evilly. Inuyasha barked,

"What are you doing here, Naraku?" The dark-haired hanyou smirked,

"I figured you would know by now."

"Enough of your nonesense, Naraku. What are you planning?" cut Kikyo. Her anger was almost getting the best of her.

"Ah, Kikyo. Tell me, do you plan on fooling these people the way you fooled me? Such a shame, I couldn't have you and I still coudn't have that young miko. Ah well." There were several warning growls from the group. However, it only made Naraku's smirked bigger. He knew he hit a delicate nerve among them.

"Hmm, do not fret, I have no interest in fighting you as of now. My business is finished. We shall see if you can keep the Jewel from me any longer." Then he disappeared leaving only his wooden doll behind.

"That was strange." stated Miroku. Sango nodded,

"In any case, we should be on our guard. You guys should return to the past. Shippo and I will stay here and wait for the rest."

Inuyasha, who was sulking, grunted before picking up Kikyo and headed off. Kirara let Miroku get on and flew away as well. Sesshomaru was out of sight already. Sango and Shippo headed back inside when the stadium started to collapse...

TBC...

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Please forgive the errors and I hope you enjoyed. Honestly, I don't know what to right next so it's gonna take a while for another update. Sorry...

Please read and review.


	26. Going Home

Alternate Tournament

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 26

**_With the Urameshi Team..._**

The members of the Urameshi team along with the other survivors of the collapsing stadium, stood and watched the structure as it fell. When they finally realized that the threat to their lives was not over, they quickly rushed to the girls in the audience and sought for a way to escape. It seems that Sakyo was serious in betting his life on Toguro's fight. He purposefully set the whole thing to self-destruct. Yusuke had to be assisted by Kurama as they all ran to find an exit, but it seems that earlier in the battle, Sakyo had managed to try and trap them all inside. Boulders on top of another prevented them from escaping.

It was already 10 seconds until the whole thing crumbled on top of them and they had no time to look for another way out. They started to panic when they heard a loud rumbling on the other side. Then suddenly, the pile of boulders were gone and Chu, Rinku, Touya, Gin, Sango and Shippo were smiling at them,

"C'mon mates, there's no time for chit-chats. We better hurry before she caves!" Chu ran to help Yusuke and started running with the others. The other demons who were with them were also running frantically for their lives. And now, here they were, standing a littles ways away from what used to be the stadium. Keiko was clutching Puu, who had bravely protected them in the last battle between Yusuke and Toguro, as she stood next to the detective. Botan was there and it seems that Koenma had returned just in time to be able to talk to Sakyo and running with Shizuru out of there,

**Flashback:**

_"Sakyo, what exactly were you planning with Naraku?_**" **_Asked the young prince of Reikai. The man in the black suit, breathed out the smoke from his cigarette and smiled slightly, _

_"Whatever it was, it's pointless to bring it up now. However, I will originally tell you my goal. I was a boy who was born into a normal family and everything was happy and perfect...I hated it. That very thought disgusts me so when I reached adolescence, I started to work part-time in the pet shop. Whenever I was free, I would lock myself up in the basement and proceeded with my...'experiments'. I even invented a game wherein I would see how long it took for a creature to stay alive once it's heart was detatched._

_Soon I learned that instead of gambling with lives, I could do the same with money. We used to play in my friend's basement and when I realized that I could become a billionaire with just gambling, I started to do just that. While my siblings became doctors and lawyers, I became a big-shot in the Black Market. But then, I grew tired of just gambling money, so I decided to create a portal to Makai. I had wondered that if small and weak demons could pass through the gaps in the Kakai Barrier separating Ningenkai from Makai, why not create a greater gap to let bigger and stronger demons pass through. I invested all my acquired fortune in trying to build such a portal but now that my main fighter is defeated, I want to take all my work with me in the underworld._

_As for Naraku, I do not know." After he finished, Shizuru stepped in the shaking room and looked at Sakyo with pleading eyes. It seems that they have had a few encounters in the past and Shizuru had developed a liking for him. Sakyo was surprised to see her here and smiled at her. He took out his lighter with his initials engraved on it and rubbed it with his thumb before tossing it to her. Shizuru caught it and looked at him in a confused manner and he just continued to smile._

_"Shizuru?" asked Koenma, however, no one paid him any attention._

_The machines behind Sakyo started to explode and smoke surrounded them. Koenma immediately grabbed Shizuru by the waist to prevent her from rushing to Sakyo. The scarred man waved his last goodbye to her and let the fires take him,_

_"Sakyo! Please, Sakyo! Come with us! SAKYO!"_

_In the end, Shizuru had no choice but to be dragged by Koenma out of the building..._

**End of Flashback...**

Suddenly,

"OH!" Everyone turned to Botan in confusion. Kuwabara asked,

"What is it?" Botan crossed her arms under her chest and pouted,

"We forgot to ask the committee to grant your wishes, remember? You each get to have one wish! How are we supposed to get them now?" she whined.

"Oh yeah." nodded Kuwabara. Yusuke shook his head and looked up,

"It doesn't matter." Kuwabara and Botan turned to him,

"What do you mean?"

"They couldn't have given us what we wanted anyway..." The detectives voice trailed off. Botan put a finger to her chin,

"And what is it that we wanted?" Then it dawned her,

"...Oh...I see..." Kuwabara looked at the ground before looking at the clear sky. Hiei turned his head looked away. Sango, who was beside him put a hand on his shoulder and let her tears flow once more. Kurama grit his teeth and clenched his fists for the 'umpteenth' time already. Everyone caught on and remained silent...

**_The next day..._**

The members of team Urameshi had done their packing and no one spoke a word. Even Puu was silent. Everyone tried to ignore the fact that they would be going back without two of their most precious friends. Hiei had been leaning on the wall next to the door, Kuwabara was leaning on the arm-rest of the couch. Yusuke was looking out the window and Kurama stood silently in a corner. Even with their victory yesterday, the whole group felt empty...

**Flashback:**

_"WINNER: YUSUKE URAMESHI! THE VICTORY GOES TO TEAM URAMESHI!" Announced both JurI and Koto as each of them held the detective's arms in the air. It did seem rather pointless seeing as almost all of the audience was nowhere to be seen. Yusuke did not seem to be happy about any of this at all. Kuwabara's 'death' was still stuck in his head and he fell to his knees in guilt._

_"Damn...Why did he have to die?...So what if I have this stupid power when I can't even protect my friends...? I'm so stupid! Why couldn't I have used this stupid power in the first place?..." Yusuke continued on blaming himself when Kurama approached him carrying Kuwabara's body with him,_

_"Yusuke, everything is alright-"_

_"How can this be alright, Kurama? I let Kuwabara die 'cause I was so stupid! It's all my fault!"_

_While Yusuke continued on, he suddenly heard a familiar sound. Looking up, he saw Kuwabara trying to stifle a laugh and failing miserably,_

_"Hahahaha! Boy, Urameshi, you really thought I died! Hahahaha!" Tears were already spilling from his eyes. Yusuke's stunned face only made him laugh even harder. Even Kurama could not help but let an amused smile creep on his face,_

_"W-What the hell?" stammered the detective. He looked at the fox who was trying to contain his own delight,_

_"As you can see, I tried to tell you that he was alright. But seeing as you were too engrossed in blaming yourself, you were not interested in hearing me out."_

_It seems that when Kuwabara was stabbed by Toguro with his bare hand, Toguro intentionally missed any vital organs. Kuwabara's fake death was the key to defeating Toguro so the carrot-top actually played along and even asked the ancient fox thief to join the drama. Knowing this, Yusuke blinked once...twice,_

_"Y-You mean to tell me that all of you were in this? That I made myself look like a complete moron!"_

_Hiei smirked and Kurama chuckled while Kuwabara laughed his ass off, for the second time,_

_"Hahahahaha! Got you there, didn't I, Urameshi? You-you should've seen your face crying like a baby! I didn't know how much you cared! Hahahahahahahaha!"_

_"W-Why you-!" Yusuke wasted no time in tackling the taller teen to the ground and started beating the living daylights out of him. Hiei snorted,_

_"Keep that up detective and you will kill him." Yusuke stopped in mid-punch,_

_"Oh yeah." He dropped the battered and bruised Kuwabara on the ground and looked at Kurama,_

_"So did Toguro accidentally fail to kill him?" Kurama shook his head,_

_"Perhaps killing someone was just to trigger your power and was not part of his plan at all. This may all be intentional." Kuwabara sat up and rubbed his abused face and added his two-cents to the conversation,_

_"I think he missed on purpose. He's a killer, so he should know where the heart is, right?"_

_The others nodded and just shrugged off the matter..._

**End of Flashback...**

"Well, with Genkai being an old hag and all and Kagome being too much of a martyr, I guess we really have to go without them." the detective tried to lighten the mood but failed. In fact, Kurama was the first to walk calmly out the door. The mere mention of Kagome's name made him even more depressed...

When everyone had already gathered to wait for their ship, the dark mood settled on them like a thick fog. Kuwabara carried the bags of the girls and the others carried their own duffel bags. Yusuke looked around but it seem that one more member had disappeared,

"Where's Kurama?" Everyone turned and started looking for the said fox demon but it seems that he was nowhere in sight...

**_With Kurama..._**

Kurama had figured that he wanted to take one last stroll in the forest, the ship wasn't gonna show up until later so he had time. He wasn't really sure where he was going and let his feet guide him. Surprisingly, he found himself standing in the place where he had found the bloody body of Kagome. Her scent was waning but it was there. His guilt had sprouted its ugly head once more for not being able to protect her. Oh great, now he had tears running down his cheeks. Kurama frowned and wiped them away. He silently smiled,

"Kagome wouldn't want me crying..." He was about to leave when...

A sudden scent filled his nose..._'Kagome?'_

"What are you doing here, of all places? Do you _want_ to be left behind?" Kurama swiftly turned around, fearing that his mind was playing tricks on him. But the figure standing before him was too clear and real for it to be a mere mirage,

"Hey."

"Kagome..." Kagome rolled her eyes and crossed her arms,

"Yes, that's me. You've already established that. Now what? Are we gonna stand here and be-" The next thing Kagome knew was that she was being held in his arms. Recovering from her shock, Kagome slowly lifted her own arms and returned his hug. Kurama, who feared that he was mistaken, felt elated. So much in fact, that he had dropped his bag on the ground and hugged her tighter. It was so good to have her back, not to mention in his arms. He didn't even care that this was very uncharacteristic of him.

Kurama slowly loosened his hold and looked directly in her blue eyes. Kagome gave him one of her famous smiles,

"I'm back." She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Before she could pull away completely, Kurama placed one hand behind her head and the other around her waist. After what he'd been through, he wouldn't dare let Kagome leave his side again. As the kiss deepened, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. After a while, they pulled apart, both inhaling greedily. As the fox regained his breath he leaned his forehead on hers and said softly,

"Welcome back." Before pulling her into one more passionate kiss where she responded readily.

**_With the others..._**

"Where the hell is he? The ship's gonna be here any minute now." Complained Yusuke. They had looked everywhere for the fox and still no sign of him. The ship's horn had gone off signaling that it was time to board.

"All right, that's it! If he's not here by the time we need to leave, he's gonna stay behind." announced the annoyed detective.

"And leave an old fossil like me to rot in this place?"

Everyone turned to see the old psychic with her hands behind her back. Their eyes widened as they took in her presence. It was impossible...right? Yusuke didn't waste anytime though and ran off towards the old lady,

"G-Genkai! Come here, you old hag!" everyone followed suit. They all rejoiced at the arrival of their old friend. In his excitement, Yusuke shouted,

"Let's go home!" Everyone cheered anyway.

"Oh, thank you so much for forgetting me, detective." Shippo and Sango were the first to see her and immediately ran to her as well,

"Kagome-chan!"

"Momma!"

"KAGOME!" Before she could even brace herself, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Shippo, Sango, Botan and Keiko jumped on her and ended up tumbling to the ground. The wind in them was knocked out but they hardly cared at the moment,

"You didn't think we'd leave you guys without a good laugh, did you?" Everyone laughed along with them. Finally, they were complete again. They would all go back together and with all the things that happened, their bonds grew stronger as well as their strength. But before we end the story for good...

_**On the ship...**_

Everyone watched Kubikukuri Island shrink as their distance grew. They've been through so much and they would continue to be together if they had anything to say about it. On the ship, Yusuke stood next to Keiko, Kuwabara tried to pull his 'moves' on Yukina only to get pummeled by Shizuru, Hiei sat on the railing with Sango by his side (surprising enough), Shippo was in Kagome's arms and she was in Kurama's, Genkai was watching them all with an almost unnoticeable smile.

Kurama caught Kagome's attention by putting his fingers under her chin, making her face him,

"You are never to leave me again. Understood?" Kagome smirked,

"That depends." He gave her a stern look that made her smile,

"Absolutely. And as for the Jewel, I would like you to hold on to it for now. Clear?"

"Crystal." He dipped his head lower and captured her lips in a loving kiss.

"What about Naraku?" asked Kagome in a confused tone. It was Shippo who answered her,

"We don't know, he just left. It's kinda strange. You would think that he'd go on a rampage or something seeing as his plans with Sakyo failed." wondered the kit. Kagome looked at him before rubbing his head gently,

"Maybe he didn't expect their schemes to succeed at all. Naraku knows that this era is not the same as the Feudal Era. I guess he just wanted to experiment dealings with humans from this time." Kurama wrapped his arm around her waist,

"Perhaps, but I'm not letting you continue your quest without me. I told you before: You are _never_ to leave me again." A smug look was in his eyes and Kagome lightly smacked him,

"But that doesn't mean that you own me, fox." Shippo jumped on the railing and watched as Kurama twirled Kagome around to face him with a wide smile,

"I'll just have to see to that now, won't I?" Kagome gulped. Maybe the ride home wasn't going to be boring at all...

**_~The End~_**

* * *

**_MUST READ!: _**A/N: Sorry for the late update. Please forgive the errors and I hope you enjoyed. **I don't know if this is gonna have a sequel. But for now, I would like to leave this as it is. **I don't think I'll entertain questions regarding this. Anyway, if I put up an epilogue, I probably would not continue.

I'm really happy that I'm finally finished. A thousand 'Thank you's to those who reviewed and supported this story. I hope that you really enjoyed reading.

Please read and review.


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